March 25, 2006

MILWAUKEE - With a full team effort, the Marquette women's tennis team was able to win both matches in today's double header defeating South Dakota State, 7-0 and Chicago State, 6-1. With the win, the Golden Eagles win their third straight match and improve to 6-11 on the season. The no. 2 doubles tandem of junior Francina Bonnelly and sophomore Erin Watkins swept both of their doubles matches today, 8-0.

The Golden Eagles team took less than two hours to earn a decisive sweep, 7-0, over South Dakota State at the Helfaer Tennis Stadium in their first match.

"It is great for this team to get a decisive win like this," said head coach Jody Bronson. "The ladies set goals for themselves for this match and most of them accomplished what they had set out to do. We are just going to try to carry over this momentum for the long stretch of matches we have coming up. It is always good to get the win, but more importantly we just want the momentum from this win to carry over."

The Golden Eagles quickly captured the doubles point with the no 1. and no. 2 doubles tandems of sophomore Maria Calbeto and freshman Lauren Little at no. 1, and Bonnelly and Watkins at no. 2, not surrendering a point to their South Dakota State counterparts winning, 8-0. The no. 3 doubles duo of junior Dominika Dabrowski and freshman Robin Metzler gave Marquette a sweep of the doubles point with a 8-1 win over Kayla Pruitt and Amy Albrecht.

In singles play Calbeto got the first win for Marquette and quickly dominated Kristine Hagedorn in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0 at no. 1 singles. Little followed with 6-1, 6-1 win over Kate Wylie at no. 2 singles.

Metzler and Watkins were next with wins over Siebrasse, 6-0, 6-1, and Sondreal in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1, respectively. Junior Katie Donovan closed things out for Marquette, sealing the 7-0 sweep, with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Albrecht at no. 5 singles.

Against Chicago State, Marquette easily closed out the weekend with a 6-1 win to gather its third consecutive victory.

In doubles play, due to Chicago State not having a full lineup, Marquette clinched the doubles point after Watkins and Bonnelly earned a quick, 8-0 win over Erica Watkins and Samantha Islas at the second position. Calbeto and Little gave Marquette the sweep in doubles for the second time today with an 8-4 defeat of Yosefin Rustandar and Cristina Vlase at no. 1 doubles.

In singles action, Marquette clinched the match win with Watkins, Bukacek and Donovan all grabbing straight set 6-0, 6-0 wins at no. 3, no. 4, and no. 5 singles, respectively.

Chicago State's Vlase gave Little an early fight at no. 2 singles, but after being down, 1-0, in the first set, the freshman dominated Vlase, 6-2, 6-0.

In the day's longest, most exciting match at the top singles spot, Calbeto took on Chicago State's Rustandar. After being down early, 2-1, Calbeto picked up the intensity and won the next four of five points to lead 5-3, but Rustandar rallied to knot it at five apiece and then six apiece. Rustandar won the tiebreaker and took the first set, 7-6.

In the second set, Rustandar won the first point, but again Calbeto fought back and claimed three straight points to lead 3-1. From there, Calbeto would only win one more point for the rest of the match, as Rustandar pulled off the 6-4 win in the second set to win the match and give Chicago State its lone point of the afternoon.

The Golden Eagles return to action hosting Illinois State at the Helfaer Tennis Stadium on Tuesday, March 28, at 4 p.m.

"We have won three-in-a-row and Illinois State is a good team. We just want to keep the momentum into that match and then take that into conference play next weekend. We need to continue to put it together everyday," added Bronson.

Marquette 7, South Dakota State 0

Singles
1. Maria Calbeto (MARQ) def. Kristine Hagedorn (SDSU), 6-0, 6-0
2. Lauren Little (MARQ) def. Kate Wylie (SDSU), 6-1, 6-1
3. Erin Watkins (MARQ) def. Jennifer Sondreal (SDSU), 6-1, 6-1
4. Robin Metzler (MARQ) def. Nicole Siebrasse (SDSU), 6-0, 6-1
5. Katie Donovan(MARQ) def. Amy Albrecht (SDSU), 6-1, 6-2
6. Andrea Bukacek (MARQ) def. Kayla Pruitt (SDSU), 6-0, 6-1

Doubles
1. Calbeto/Little (MARQ) def. Hagedorn/Sondreal (SDSU), 8-0
2. Bonnelly/Watkins (MARQ) def. Siebrasse/Wylie (SDSU), 8-0
3. Metzler/Dabrowski (MARQ) def. Pruitt/ Albrecht (SDSU), 8-1

Marquette 6, Chicago State 1

Singles
1. Yosefin Rustandar (CSU) def. Maria Calbeto (MARQ), 7-6, 6-4
2. Lauren Little (MARQ) def. Cristina Vlase (CSU), 6-2, 6-0
3. Erin Watkins (MARQ) def. Samantha Islas (CSU), 6-0, 6-0
4. Andrea Bukacek (MARQ) def. Erica Watkins (CSU), 6-0, 6-0
5. Katie Donovan(MARQ) def. Ulanda Fulford (CSU), 6-0, 6-0
6. Robin Metzler (MARQ) won by default

Doubles
1. Calbeto/Little (MARQ) def. Rustandar/Vlase (CSU), 8-4
2. Bonnelly/Watkins (MARQ) def. Watkins/Islas (CSU), 8-0
3. Metzler/Dabrowski (MARQ) won by default