April 21, 2012
Contact: Renee Adam
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CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland State women's tennis team earned its second straight sweep Saturday afternoon, posting a 7-0 victory over Butler. With the win the Vikings improve to 14-8 overall and 6-1 in Horizon League play.
"This was a solid team win for us today over a quality league opponent," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "I thought our doubles teams performed well in crucial situations and our No. 2 team of Alex Bush and Alex Power was able to give us an early advantage with their quick win. Overall, we played very competitive today and we were able to play some focused tennis."
The Vikings got off to a strong start, picking up wins in all three doubles matches for the seventh time this season. The No. 2 tandem of Alex Bush and Alex Power cruised to an 8-2 win, while Nicole Janek and Kara Sherwood earned an 8-6 victory at the No. 3 spot and Catrine Bjerrehus and Maria Lazaris battled for a 9-8 (1) win.
The trio of Power, Sherwood and Lazaris picked up CSU's first three singles matches against Butler, clinching the match for the Vikings. Power, who was playing at No. 6 singles, extended her win streak to eight straight with a 6-0, 6-0 victory. With the win Power also remains perfect in league play, owning a 7-0 record entering tomorrow's contest against Wright State.
Sherwood also extended her win streak Saturday, posting her sixth straight victory with a 6-1, 6-3 win at No. 3 singles. Sherwood is just one win shy of becoming the third Viking to notch 20 wins this season, currently standing at 19-13 on the year. Lazaris' win came in a 6-2, 6-3 decision at No. 2 singles, marking her 15th singles win of the season.
At No. 5 singles Janek earned a 6-4, 6-3 victory against the Bulldogs, marking her fifth victory out of her past six matches. Bush picked up her third victory since coming back from injury at No. 4 singles, earning a 6-2, 6-1 win, while Bjerrehus claimed a 3-6, 6-0, 10-5 victory at the No. 1 spot.
"It was great to see Catrine get the super tiebreak win in her singles match today. She played a quality opponent and was able to pull out the win in a pressure situation," Etzkin said. "The top part of our lineup really took control in singles play today, which is great to see with the depth that we have on this team."
The Vikings will close out the regular season tomorrow (Sunday, April 22), hosting Wright State at 11:00 a.m. at Paramount Tennis Club in Westlake, Ohio.
Cleveland State 7, Butler 0
Doubles:
1. Bjerrehus/Lazaris (CSU) def. McLoughlin/Rubenstein (BU), 9-8 (1)
2. Bush/Power (CSU) def. Thompson/Breitenbach (BU), 8-2
3. Janek/Sherwood (CSU) def. King/Panawash (BU), 8-6
Singles:
1. Bjerrehus, Catrine (CSU) def. HEDRICK, Caroline (BU) 3-6, 6-0, 10-5
2. Lazaris, Maria (CSU) def. McLOUGHLIN, S. (BU) 6-2, 6-3
3. Sherwood, Kara (CSU) def. RUBENSTEIN, G. (BU) 6-1, 6-3
4. Bush, Alexandra (CSU) def. THOMPSON, Cam (BU) 6-2, 6-1
5. Janek, Nicole (CSU) def. QIN, Angelina (BU) 6-4, 6-3
6. Power, Alex (CSU) def. SHULL, Laura (BU) 6-0, 6-0
