University of Minnesota Athletics
Women's Tennis Falls to Tribe 5-2
3/16/2011 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
The Minnesota women's tennis team was unable to snap its losing skid on Tuesday, falling to No. 43 William & Mary 5-2 in Williamsburg, N.C. The match, which was held outdoors at the at the Millie West Tennis Facility, marked the first time Gopher head coach Tyler Thomson returned to Williamsburg since he was an assistant coach of the Tribe from 1997 to 2001.
W&M opened the match by sweeping the doubles point. After an 8-1 win at No. 3, Magdalena Wiecha and Doron Muravnik dropped a close 8-6 match to Anik Cepeda and Hope Johnson, the 50th-ranked doubles duo in the country. William & Mary's Katie Kargl and Marlen Mesgarzadeh then defeated Mariana Spilca and Alexa Palen by an identical 8-6 score to cap the doubles competition.
Similar to Monday's match against UNC-Wilmington, the Gophers lost the first three matches to finish in singles play.
After Wiecha, Yuliana Umanets, and Palen were defeated in straight sets at No. 2, 3, 4, respectively, Minnesota got on the board with a win at the fifth position by Muravnik. Kargle, Muravnik's singles opponent, retired after Murvanik countered a 6-2 first-game loss with a 6-0 second-game win. It was the Gopher sophomore's third consecutive win and fourth in her last five.
After Peta Forsyth dropped a tough 3-6, 6-1, 1-0 (10) match tiebreak decision to the Tribe's Marivick Mamiit at No. 6, 65th-ranked Natallia Pintusava finished off her first singles match since March 4 by winning a 6-4, 7-5 against W&M's Hope Johnson.
Minnesota will complete its non-conference schedule on Thursday when travels to Chapel Hill, N.C. to face third-ranked North Carolina. The Gophers will host No. 5 Michigan and No. 52 Michigan State on April 2 and 3 at the Baseline Tennis Center.
Singles
1. No. 65 Natallia Pintusava (MINN) def. Hope Johnson (W&M) 6-4, 7-5
2. Marlen Mesgarzadeh (W&M) def. Magdalena Wiecha (MINN) 6-3, 6-1
3. Jeltje Loomans (W&M) def. Yuliana Umanets (MINN) 7-5, 7-5
4. Anik Cepeda (W&M) def. Alexa Palen (MINN) 6-3, 6-2
5. Doron Muravnik (MINN) def. Katie Kargl (W&M) 2-6, 6-0, retire
6. Marivick Mamiit (W&M) def. Peta Forsyth (MINN) 3-6, 6-1, 12-10
Order of Finish: 2,3,4,5,1,6
Doubles
1. No. 50 Anik Cepeda/Hope Johnson (W&M) def. Magdalena Wiecha/Doron Muravnik (MINN) 8-6
2. Katie Kargl/Marien Mesgarzadeh (W&M) def. Mariana Spilca/Alexa Palen (MINN) 8-6
3. Jeltje Loomans/Marivick Mamiit (W&M) def. Peta Forsyth/Elianna Kantar (MINN) 8-1
Finishing Order: 3,1,2
Players Mentioned
