The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Loss To UCF Knocks UAB From C-USA Women's Tennis Tourney
4/21/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 21, 2011
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The UAB women's tennis team suffered a 4-0 loss Thursday to 75th-ranked UCF in the first round of the Conference USA Championship at Lake Cane Tennis Center.
The fifth-seeded Knights (12-7) won the doubles point from the No. 12 seed Blazers (7-13) and then claimed victory in the first three singles matches off the court to move into a quarterfinal matchup with No. 4 seed Rice on Friday.
UCF posted each of its singles wins in straight sets. UAB's Giorgia Romeo dropped a 6-0, 6-1 contest to Alexis Rodriguez at the No. 2 position, Caroline Faught fell to Josephine Haraldson by a 6-1, 6-2 score at the No. 5 spot, and Brittany DeFelice suffered a 6-0, 6-3 setback to Courtney Griffith at No. 6.
UAB was hanging in each of the other singles contests when the team match was decided and play was stopped.
After dropping the first set at No. 1 singles, Evelien Strijker had a 4-2 lead on Jenny Frisell in the second. Paula Alvarez (No. 3) and Jenny Cape (No. 4) each trailed by one a game in their second sets after falling in the first sets to Genevieve Lorbergs and Jenna Doerfler, respectively.
But UCF needed only the three singles wins after taking the opening doubles point. The Knights picked up doubles wins from their No. 2 team of Frisell and Rodriguez and their No. 3 tandem of Taylor Dubins and Andrea Yacaman to take the early 1-0 lead.
Earlier in the day, Cape was named to the C-USA All-Academic Team for women's tennis for the third consecutive year. She finished the season with 12 singles wins, trailing only Strijker's 13 for the team lead.
