No. 5 New Mexico Rallies for 4-3 Victory Over No. 4 BYU at 2009 Mountain West Conference Women's Tennis Championship

April 23, 2009

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -

The No. 5 seed University of New Mexico rallied for a 4-3 victory over fourth-seeded BYU to advance to the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference Women's Tennis Championship this afternoon at the Jerry Cline Tennis Center. New Mexico (9-14) faced elimination, trailing 3-1, but won at No. 3, No. 1 and No. 6 singles. BYU fell to 12-10 on the season.

New Mexico's Maria Sotirchos clinched the victory for the Lobos with a 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 win over BYU's Romina Nedakovich. Nedakovich had cut the lead to 4-3 in the third set before Sotichos captured the final two points.

The pivotal match came at No. 3 singles as UNM's Emma Hayman, facing elimination, rallied for a 6-0, 3-6, 7-5 win over Chie Hayasaka. The match featured scoring runs by both women with Hayman winning the first seven points and Hayasaka battling back to take nine of the next 13.

Down 5-4 in the final set, Hayman won six of the final seven points to keep the Lobos' alive.

New Mexico's Ola Abou-Zekry - the MWC Player of the Year - also won an elimination match, downing the Cougars' McCall Jones 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 at the No. 1 singles position.

BYU won the doubles point as the team of Jones and Kristina Doerr defeated Abou-Zekry and Hayman, 8-5, at the No. 1 doubles position and the Cougars' Nedakovic and Liza Ezhova downed Sotirchos and Victoria Tessmar at No. 3.

The Cougars staked a 3-1 lead after wins by Megan Price (6-2, 6-2) at No. 4 and Ezhova (6-2, 6-3) at No. 5 singles wrapped around a New Mexico victory by White (6-3, 6-4) at the No. 2 position.

New Mexico will face top-seeded UNLV in semifinal action, Friday, April 24, at 2 p.m. MT.

Tennis Match Results - #5 New Mexico 4, #4 BYU 3
Apr 23, 2009 at Albuquerque, N.M.
(Jerry Cline Tennis Center)

Singles competition
1. ABOU-ZEKRY, Ola (NM) def. #119 JONES, McCall (BYU) 7-6 (7-3), 6-2
2. WHITE, Mackenzie (NM) def. DOERR, Kristina (BYU) 6-3, 6-4
3. HAYMAN, Emma (NM) def. HAYASAKA, Chie (BYU) 6-0, 3-6, 7-5
4. PRICE, Megan (BYU) def. BONNER, Ashley (NM) 6-2, 6-2
5. EZHOVA, Elizaveta (BYU) def. VILLANUEVA-FORTE, A (NM) 6-2, 6-3
6. SOTIRCHOS, Maria (NM) def. NEDAKOVIC, Romina (BYU) 6-1, 2-6, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. JONES, McCall/DOERR, Kristina (BYU) def. ABOU-ZEKRY, Ola/HAYMAN, Emma (NM) 8-5
2. BONNER, Ashley/VILLANUEVA-FORTE, A (NM) def. CARNEY, Elle/PRICE, Megan (BYU) 8-5
3. NEDAKOVIC, Romina/EZHOVA, Elizaveta (BYU) def. SOTIRCHOS, Maria/TESSMAR, Victoria (NM) 8-6

Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (4,2,5,3,1,6)
2009 Mountain West Conference Tournament Quarterfinals
T-3:37