Sweet 16 for UIC as Flames Capture Women's Tennis Crown

Horizon League Women’s Tennis Championship:
(1) UIC 4, (2) Cleveland State 0

INDIANAPOLIS -- UIC made sure it was a “Sweet Sixteen.” In a match that was much closer than the final score indicated, it was the top-seeded Flames who dug deep to pull out a 4-0 win over No. 2 Cleveland State in the Horizon League Women’s Tennis Championship.

UIC (18-3) was tested by a game Cleveland State (16-9) squad that was attempting to snap the Flames’ 15-year stranglehold on the Horizon League Tournament. Instead, it was UIC who picked up key points at pivotal moments to grab its 16^th straight conference title.

The Flames picked up the doubles point with dominant performances at No. 2 and No. 3, with Teona Tsertsvadze and Elisa Simonetti breezing to an 8-2 victory before Jana Knoppe and Linda Hricistova clinched the opening point with an 8-4 win.

Needing three wins to clinch the title, UIC battled with Cleveland State, as the Vikings grabbed the opening set in two matches to serve notice that the championship would not come easily.

However, the Flames reversed the changing momentum as Knoppe rallied from an early deficit to post a 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 5 to put UIC ahead, 2-0. Shortly thereafter, Tsertsvadze, who rallied to post a 7-5 win in the first set of her match at No. 2, won 6-4 to collect the straight set win and put the Flames on the verge of the title.

Needing just one more point, attention turned to the far end of the Barbara Wynne Tennis Center, where Kathryn Sharples was wrapping up her match. Sharples dropped the first set, 2-6, but dominated the rest of the way, winning 6-1, 6-0 to clinch the result with a victory at No. 6 singles.

UIC will find out its NCAA Tournament destination on Tuesday, May 1, at 5 p.m. ET. The selection show will air live on NCAA.com.

(1) UIC 4, (2) Cleveland State 0
April 29, 2012 | Indianapolis, Ind. (North Central H.S.)
Horizon League Women’s Tennis Championship

Doubles
No. 1 – Mariya Kovaleva/Haley Craig (UIC) vs. Catrine Bjerrehus/Maria Lazaris (CSU) 6-5
No. 2 – Teona Tsertsvadze/Elisa Simonetti (UIC) def. Alex Bush/Alex Power (CSU) 8-2
No. 3 – Jana Knoppe/Linda Hricistova (UIC) def. Kara Sherwood/Nicole Janek (CSU) 8-4

Singles
No. 1 – Mariya Kovaleva (UIC) vs. Catrine Bjerrehus (CSU) 6-4, 3-6 DNF
No. 2 – Teona Tsertsvadze (UIC) def. Maria Lazaris (CSU) 7-5, 6-4
No. 3 – Haley Craig (UIC) vs. Kara Sherwood (CSU) 7-6, 2-4 DNF
No. 4 – Elisa Simonetti (UIC) vs. Nicole Janek (CSU) 6-7, 6-0 DNF
No. 5 – Jana Knoppe (UIC) def. Alex Bush (CSU) 6-4, 6-3
No. 6 – Kathryn Sharples (UIC) def. Alex Power (CSU) 2-6, 6-1, 6-0