University of Houston
<b> Central Arkansas
Tennis Cruises Past Central Arkansas
3/12/2007 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
March 12, 2007
HOUSTON - The University of Houston tennis team snapped a two-match losing streak, strolling to a 7-0 win against Central Arkansas Monday afternoon at the Jewish Community Center. The match was moved indoors due to rain at Hoff Courts on the UH campus.
"This match did three things for our team," head coach John Severance said. "It first gave us double reps that we needed. The match also allowed us to work on a couple of different strategies in singles. The last thing this match did for us is that it gave our team confidence that winning brings."
Houston (10-5) started strong in doubles action as the pairs of Loli Gomez and Leila Salek along with Sonja Nikolic and Rebecca Franzi raced out to 8-2 victories. Anna Djananova and Vicky Simpson also corralled an 8-1 win at the No. 3 position.
The Cougars dominated singles action, dropping only a combined 12 games in the top five spots in the lineup. Gomez returned to the top spot in the lineup and notched a 6-1, 6-2 victory, while Salek came away with a 6-2, 6-1 win at the No. 2 hole.
Freshman Anna Djananova and Neila Starratt strung together 6-2, 6-2 and 6-1, 6-0 wins at the No. 3 and No. 4 spots, respectively. It was Starratt's debut at the No. 4 slot.
Lindsay Willeford improved to 3-0 in her Cougar career, tallying a 5-2 victory in the No. 5 position. Vicky Simpson capped the sweep with a hard-fought 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-4) win at the bottom of the lineup.
Houston squares off with Illinois next Monday at Hoff Courts. First serve against the Fighting Illini is set for 2pm. Admission is free to Hoff Courts.
"Every match from here to the finish is very important," Severance said. "The team will get a few days off to enjoy spring break. We'll return fresh and ready to face the challenge of a quality Big 10 opponent."
