ABILENE – The University of Texas at Tyler men’s and women’s tennis teams each earned a berth into their respective American Southwest Conference Championship matches for the second straight season on Saturday with identical 5-0 wins in the conference semi-finals at McMurry’s Seidel-Swagerty Tennis Center.
The UT Tyler men, the top-seed from the East, shut-out the East Division No. 3 seed Mississippi College, 5-0, in the first match of the day. In the day’s second match, the Patriot women, also the East’s top seed, blanked the second seed from the West, Mary Hardin-Baylor, 5-0.
In the men’s match, the Patriots swept all three doubles matches to jump out to an early 3-0 lead. The lead proved insurmountable for the Choctaws, as the Patriots picked up the first two singles points to win the match and advance to the finals.
Sophomore Robert Sajovich (Austin. Texas) took down Mississippi’s Patrick Stanton, 6-1, 6-3, at the No. 2 flight to pick up UT Tyler’s fourth point and put them one point away from the win.
Freshman Kevin Wright (College Station, Texas) was the next to finish and clinched the win for UT Tyler by beating the Choctaws’ Jerrod Rayborn, 6-1, 6-4, at No. 5.
The Patriots were up in three of the other four singles matches when the team match was decided.
In the women’s match, the Patriots followed the suit of their male counterparts and swept all three doubles matches to also jump out to a 3-0 lead.
Freshman Sydni Hermsdorf (Spring, Texas) moved the Patriots closer to the win by picking up point number four with a 6-2, 6-1 win over UMHB’s Amber Long at Flight No. 4.
At Flight No. 2, sophomore Michelle Hagler (Austin, Texas) was the next to finish and sealed the team win with a 6-2, 6-4 singles win over the Lady Cru’s Mallory Arhus.
The women were also up in three of the four unfinished matches as well.
Both teams will attempt to earn their second consecutive ASC title and an automatic berth in to the NCAA Championships on Sunday in their respective conference title matches.
The men will take the court first at 1 p.m., against the winner of Saturday’s other semi-final between LeTourneau and McMurry. The women will follow 30 minutes after the conclusion of the men’s match when they meet the winner of the Hardin-Simmons and Howard Payne semi-final match-up. Live stats for both matches will be available at www.uttyler.edu/athletics.
ASC TOURNAMENT
MEN’S SEMIFINALS
Texas-Tyler 5, Mississippi College 0
Apr 18, 2009 at Abilene, TX (Seidel-Swagerty Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. Dustin Phillips (UTTMEN) vs. Chas Dunn (MC) 6-4, 4-4, unfinished
2. Robert Sajovich (UTTMEN) def. Patrick Stanton (MC) 6-1, 6-3
3. David Ashlock (UTTMEN) vs. Cory Seay (MC) 6-2, 5-3, unfinished
4. Shaun Maddox (UTTMEN) vs. Taylor Clemmer (MC) 2-6, 2-5, unfinished
5. Kevin Wright (UTTMEN) def. Jerrod Rayborn (MC) 6-1, 6-4
6. Nick Kreines (UTTMEN) vs. Walter Freeman (MC) 6-3, 4-3, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. David Ashlock/Dustin Phillips (UTTMEN) def. Chas Dunn/Patrick Stanton (MC) 8-5
2. Robert Sajovich/Andrew Reznik (UTTMEN) def. Jerrod Rayborn/Cory Seay (MC) 8-3
3. Nick Kreines/Jordan Repsher (UTTMEN) def. Taylor Clemmer/Walter Freeman (MC) 8-5
Match Notes
Mississippi College 12-9
Texas-Tyler 16-5
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (,2,5)
UT-Tyler advances to championship match on Sunday.
WOMEN’S SEMIFINALS
Texas-Tyler 5, Mary Hardin-Baylor 0
Apr 18, 2009 at Abilene, TX (Seidel-Swagerty Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. Beth Launius (UTTWOMEN) vs. Megan Aarhus (UMHBW) 3-6, 2-4, unfinished
2. Michelle Hagler (UTTWOMEN) def. Mallory Aarhus (UMHBW) 6-2, 6-4
3. Lauren Nielsen (UTTWOMEN) vs. Rebecca Everett (UMHBW) 6-1, 2-4, unfinished
4. Sydni Hermsdorf (UTTWOMEN) def. Amber Long (UMHBW) 6-2, 6-1
5. Lauren Giovannini (UTTWOMEN) vs. Christi Voss (UMHBW) 6-2, 1-0, unfinished
6. Brittany Ude (UTTWOMEN) vs. Andrea Wharton (UMHBW) 6-0, 3-0, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Beth Launius/Michelle Hagler (UTTWOMEN) def. Megan Aarhus/Mallory Aarhus (UMHBW) 8-4
2. Lauren Nielsen/Sydni Hermsdorf (UTTWOMEN) def. Rebecca Everett/Christi Voss (UMHBW) 8-6
3. Lauren Giovannini/Brittany Ude (UTTWOMEN) def. Amber Long/Andrea Wharton (UMHBW) 8-2