UIC Women's Tennis Season Comes to End After 4-0 Loss to No. 1 Stanford

Stanford, Calif. -- The UIC women's tennis team season came to a halting end, as the Flames were defeated by the overall No. 1 seed Stanford in the first round of the NCAA Championships, 4-0.

In doubles play, Nicole Gibbs and Veronica Li took the match from the very start to juniors Mariya Kovaleva and Linda Hricistova in convincing fashion, 8-0.  Nationally ranked doubles duo No. 3 Hilary Barte and Mallory Burdette of Stanford defeated UIC's top doubles tandem of senior Ilinca Cristescu and Teona Tsertsvadze, 8-1.

Cristescu capped of her UIC career with one victory away from tying the all-time career singles wins at 83, as she bowed out to Stanford's No. 18 Gibbs in straight sets, 6-0, 6-1.  At the No. 5 singles position, Carolyn McVeigh defeated freshman Jana Knoppe in a demanding matter, 6-2, 6-1.  Three-time Horizon League Player of the Year Kovaleva, won the first set over Stanford's No. 3 Barte, but fell in the next two sets, 1-6, 6-0, 6-0.

UIC (18-5, 8-0 Horizon League) unfortunately couldn't record their first ever NCAA Championship win, but the task wasn't easy since the Flames went up against the most successful women's tennis program in the nation.  UIC will take this trip to the west coast as motivation, and just keep working hard in the offseason and be back next year even stronger for hopefully their 14th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2012.   

No. 1 Stanford 4, UIC 0
Singles:
1.  No. 3 Hilary Barte (STAN) def. Mariya Kovaleva (UIC) 1-6, 6-0, 6-0                                                                                   
2.  No. 22 Mallory Burdette (STAN) vs. Teona Tsertsvadze (UIC) 2-6, 6-3, DNF                                                              
3.  No. 18 Nicole Gibbs (STAN) def. Ilinca Cristescu (UIC) 6-0, 6-1                                                                                  
4.  Veronica Li (STAN) vs. Elisa Simonetti (UIC) 6-3, 2-4, DNF                                                                                              
5.  Carolyn McVeigh (STAN) def. Jana Knoppe (UIC) 6-2, 6-1                                                                                          
6.  Jennifer Yen (STAN) vs. Linda Hricistova (UIC) 6-2, 5-3, DNF

Doubles: 
1. Barte/Burdette (STAN) def. Simonetti/Tsertsvadze (UIC) 8-1                                                              
2. Gibbs/Li (STAN) def. Hricistova/Kovaleva (UIC) 8-0                                                                                                
3. Knoppe/Kathryn Sharples (UIC) vs. McVeigh/Yen (STAN) 5-1, DNF

Order of Finish
Singles: 3, 5, 1
Doubles: 2, 1