Top-ranked BYUH women eliminated
Advertiser Staff
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Lynn University ended top-ranked Brigham Young-Hawai'i's unbeaten season in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II Women's Tennis Championships yesterday in Altamonte Springs, Fla.
The Fighting Knights' 5-1 win was their second over a No. 1 team this season and put them in the national semifinals for the 12th time in 13 seasons.
The Seasiders (27-1) and coach David Porter were trying to win their eighth title since joining NCAA DII in 1999.
Lynn has won three national titles.
After losing No. 3 doubles Wednesday, BYUH was in tiebreakers on the other two doubles courts when rain postponed play until yesterday morning. It split those matches, with top-ranked Elwen Li and Yuan Jia overcoming fifth-ranked Katerina Jiskrova and Eleonora Iannozzi 9-8 (7-5).
The Seasiders moved ahead 3-2 when Li, ranked No. 3, beat 11th-ranked Jiskrova, 6-0, 6-2, at first singles, and Wen-Lin Wang stopped Jessica Yanoff, 6-2, 6-2, on the fourth court.
Lynn tied it with a win at No. 6, moved ahead when Iannozzi won and clinched when Alisson Siaci beat Ayako Ikeda, 2-6, 6-2, 6-2.
Hawai'i Pacific, ranked 14th, also saw its season end in the quarterfinals when it lost to fourth-ranked Valdosta State, 5-2.
Lauren Shin and Anastasia Ageychik got HPU's only doubles win Wednesday. Up 2-1 going into yesterday's resumed matches, Valdosta won on the second, fifth and sixth singles courts to clinch.
Ingrid Cseh got the Sea Warriors' only singles victory with a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 4.
HPU's season ended 17-8.
On the men's side, sixth-ranked Hawai'i Pacific lost to top-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State, 5-1, in the semifinals.
The Sea Warriors finished the season 16-5.
HPU trailed 2-1 after doubles play, with Aleksandar Markov and Anton Samuilau getting the only point on a 9-7 victory at No. 3.
In singles, the Sea Warriors lost in straight sets at Nos. 1, 6 and 3 to end the season.