1998 NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP
May 21-29
Courtney Tennis Center
University of Notre Dame
Individual Singles and Doubles Recap
Tuesday -- May 26, 1998
NOTRE DAME, Ind. -- Three of the top eight singles seeds and five of eight doubles seeds remain as the quarterfinals of both draws are set after the second day of the NCAA individual singles and doubles championship at the Courtney Tennis Center at the University of Notre Dame, host of the 1998 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championship. Top-seeded Mirela Vladulescu of Alabama-Birmingham survived a match point, while third-seeded Amanda Augustus of California and fourth-seeded Vanessa Webb won in straight sets.
Florida's Stephanie Nickitas served for the match against Vladulescu at 5-4 in the third set and had a match point but Vladulescu, who saves four match points in her first round match, fought back to win the final five games of the match for a 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 win to advance to the quarterfinals where she will face Stanford's Julie Scott. Augustus advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-3 win over VCU's Martina Nedalkova while Webb won her third straight-set in the tournament to earn a spot in the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Arizona State's Reka Cseresnyes. Webb has dropped just 12 games in her three matches so far.
In the doubles compeition, Florida's two-time defending NCAA champion and top-seeded team of Dawn Buth and Stephanie Nickitas advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Tennessee's Manisha Malhotra and Margie Lepsi. The Gator duo is 12-0 all-time in two-plus seasons of playing doubles together in the NCAA championships.
Second-seed Webb and Karen Goldstein, third-seeded Cristina Moros and Sandy Sureephong of Texas and fourth-seeded Scott and Ania Bleszynski also advanced as did the seeded team of Lauren Nikolaus and Michelle O of William & Mary.
Just three unseeded doubles teams remain alive in the draw, including Notre Dame's Tiffany Gates and Jennifer Hall who will face Goldstein and Webb in the quarterfinals. Gates and Hall won their second straight three-set match with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 win over Purdue's Jennifer Embry and Mary Beth Maggart.
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Notre Dame senior Tiffany Gates (left) and junior Jennifer Hall won for the second straight day on court 13, again after dropping the first set. The Irish beat Purdue's Jennifer Embry and Mary Maggart (4-6, 6-4, 6-0) and next will face #2-seeded Vanessa Webb and Karen Rothstein of Duke in the quarterfinals.
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Stanford seniors Julie Scott (left) and Anie Bleszynski joined Cal's Amanda Augustus and Duke's Vanessa Webb on Tuesday as the four players who won both of their singles matches and then won their doubles match.
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Purdue's Jennifer Embry and Mary Maggart jumped ahead vs. Notre Dame's Tiffany gates and Jennifer Hall before dropping the 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 match.
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Florida junior Stephanie Nickitas (in white cap) played 53 games (plus a tiebreaker) over two singles matches Tuesday before teaming with senior Dawn Buth to quickly beat Tennessee's Manisha Malhotra and Margie Lepsi (6-0, 6-3). Nickitas and Buth are the two-time defending NCAA doubles champions.
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Miami's Liodmila Skavronskaia won the first set from Washington's Kristina Kraszewski, who then won by the same score in the second and third sets. Kraszewski also pulled out a comeback win earlier in the day over William & Mary's Michelle O (3-6, 6-2, 6-4). |
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