UNLV Advances To The Finals Of The MWC Conference Women's Tennis Championship

No. 3 seed UNLV upset No. 2 seed New Mexico, 4-2.

UNLV's Claire Smith celebrates.
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April 29, 2005

SAN DIEGO - No. 3 seed UNLV upset No. 2 seed New Mexico, 4-2, to advance to the finals of the 2005 Mountain West Conference Women's Tennis Championship, Friday afternoon at the Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego, Calif.

The No. 44-ranked UNLV won the key doubles point as the No. 1 doubles team of Elena Gantcheva and Sharon Marin rallied from a 6-5 deficit to defeat New Mexico's No. 8-ranked Maja Kovacek and Iva Gersic, 8-6. Gyorgyi Zsiros and Claire Smith also won at No. 3 doubles for the Lady Rebels. In singles play, UNLV won at No. 3 and No. 5 singles, while Kovacek upset No. 28-ranked Gantcheva at No. 1 singles. It came down to the third set at both No. 2 and No. 6 singles with UNLV needing one of those matches to win. Claire Smith ended the match at No. 6 singles as she defeated the Lobos' Tiffany Robertson, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.

CSU's Carla Pallares

In the consolation round, No. 6 seed Colorado State downed No. 7 seed Wyoming, 4-0. The Rams dominated doubles play as they lost just two games at No. 2 and 3 doubles combined to win the point. Alexandra Paganetti and Dasha Zhurin won 8-0 at No. 3 doubles. Colorado State won at No. 3, 4 and 6 singles play to clinch the shutout. The Rams lost just nine games in those three matches, including a 6-1, 6-2 win by Anne Andersen at No. 3 singles.

UNLV now advances to the finals, its third MWC women's championship final all-time. The Lady Rebels won the championship title in both 2000 and 2002. BYU takes on San Diego State in the second semifinal later this afternoon. The MWC women's tennis championship match is Saturday at noon at Barnes Tennis Center.

2005 Mountain West Conference Women's Tennis Championship
Barnes Tennis Center, San Diego, Calif.

Semifinal #1 - No. 3 seed UNLV def. No. 2 seed New Mexico, 4-2
Singles
1. No. 46 Maja Kovacek (NM) def. No. 28 Elena Gantcheva (UNLV), 6-1, 6-3
2. No. 85 Iva Gersic (NM) vs. Gyorgyi Zsiros (UNLV), 3-6, 7-5, 2-2, DNF
3. Anne Claire Ortiz-Luis (UNLV) def. Michelle Heidbrink (NM), 6-2, 6-3
4. Nora Quintal (NM) def. Sharon Marin (UNLV), 6-2, 6-4
5. Cindy Treber (UNLV) def. Lucy Scott (NM), 6-2, 6-2
6. Claire Smith (UNLV) def. Tiffany Robertson (NM), 5-7, 6-4, 6-2

Doubles
1. Gantcheva/Marin (UNLV) def. No. 8 Kovacek/Gersic (NM), 8-6
2. Heidbrink/Robertson (NM) def. Ortiz-Luis/Tempelfelde (UNLV), 8-5
3. Zsiros/Smith (UNLV) def. Quintal/Scott, 8-2

Consolation Match #1 - No. 6 seed Colorado State def. No. 7 seed Wyoming, 4-0

Singles
1. Patricia Chien (WYO) vs. Dasha Zhurin (CSU), 7-6 (2), 4-3, DNF
2. Corina Lazar (WYO) vs. Emily Kirchem (CSU), 7-6 (5), 2-0
3. Anne Andersen (CSU) def. Karolina Rowinski (WYO), 6-1, 6-2
4. Carla Pallares (CSU) def. Andrea House (WYO), 6-2, 6-1
5. Jessica Jones (CSU) vs. Amy Senko (WYO), 7-5, 5-1, DNF
6. Alexandra Paganetti (CSU) def. Michelle Brown (WYO), 6-2, 6-1

Doubles
1. Andersen/Kirchem (CSU) vs. Chien/Rowinski (WYO), 7-2, DNF
2. Jones/Pallares (CSU) def. Lazar/Senko (WYO), 8-2
3. Paganetti/Zhurin (CSU) def. Moser/House (WYO), 8-0