April 29, 2011
San Antonio, Texas - The No. 69 Mavericks easily moved to the second round of the Southland Conference Tournament after earning a 4-1 victory against McNeese State on Friday at the UTSA Tennis Center.
With the win, UT Arlington improved to 18-4 and extended their win streak to nine. McNeese State closes the season with a 6-12 overall mark.
"Everyone played really well," said head coach Diego Benitez. "McNeese State came out strong and gave us a good match. It was good to have a competitive match in the first round. We haven't been in competition mode in awhile, so it was good for our team to play a strong match at the start."
"At the end of the match, everyone was playing much better. We have to make sure we begin strong tomorrow in doubles to carry our momentum through the match," said Benitez.
Due to match times pushed back, UTA's 2 p.m. scheduled time was moved to 2:45. The Mavericks easily won the doubles point and secured four quick victories in singles action.
In doubles, Maria Martinez-Romero and Nikola Matovicova improved their overall record to 18-2 after winning an 8-1 decision against Tea Tvrtkovic and Anastasio Surkova in the No. 2 position.
Senior Daiana Negreanu and Linda Aqvist recorded an 8-4 win against Ilona Serchenko and Ralitsa Pirdopska in the top flight.
With the Mavericks already up in two of three flights and Giada D'ortona and Natalia Mayuk with a 7-5 advantage against their opponents, the No. 3 match went unfinished.
UT Arlington moved to singles action with a 1-0 lead over the Cowgirls. The Mavericks scored victories in the No. 1, 3, and 6 flights. The No. 2 and 4 matches went unfinished due to the Mavs already securing the victory.
D'ortona led off with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Marcella Castaldi in the No. 6 position while Martinez-Romer extended her win streak to nine after winning a 6-1, 6-1 decision against Tvrtkovic in the No. 3 flight.
Katarina Mlcochova suffered a 6-1, 6-4 loss in the No. 5 position to Kwynn Biggs but senior Negreanu made up for the loss with a 6-1, 6-2 victory against Serchenko in the top flight.
Both Aqvist and Mayuk matches went unfinished.
The Mavericks will be back in action tomorrow when they take on the winner of Texas State and Stephen F. Austin. Match time is set for 3 p.m.
