University of Houston
East Carolina
Houston Dominates ECU for 10th Straight Win
3/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
HOUSTON - The University of Houston tennis team's historic winning streak continued to grow on Friday morning as the No. 48 Cougars dropped East Carolina, 7-0, at Houston Country Club. The win is Houston's 10th straight, matching the second-longest streak in Cougar tennis history.
Houston (14-4) previously recorded 10-match winning streaks in 1990, 1991 and 2009. The longest run in program history, a 13-match stretch without a loss, also came in 1990.
"East Carolina battled us on every court, and they really made us work today," said Houston Head Coach Patrick Sullivan. "Credit to their team, and at the same time, we need to tighten a few aspects of our game before we hit the home stretch."
With the threat of rain looming, Houston and East Carolina (11-7) started the day with the singles courts. The Cougars wasted little time in building a quick 3-0 lead. No. 33 Despoina Vogasari routed Nicole LaDuca on the top court, 6-3, 6-2, Tina Rupert dropped Maria Gomez on court three, 6-1, 6-2, and No. 18 Elena Kordolaimi swept Michelle Castro on the second court, 6-2, 6-3.
The Cougars won the first set on each of the three bottom courts, but ECU battled back to force a third set in each of the three matches. Houston regrouped, however, to earn points in each flight.
Mina Markovic clinched the victory on court four when she finished off Sarah Sarjoo, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. Angela Lorenzo was the next to finish on court six as she took down Neena Wanko, 6-4, 1-6, 6-2. The last singles result came in the fifth flight, where Maria Cardenas was a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 winner over Katie Hoch.
Bad weather was a distant memory by the time singles play concluded, so the two squads decided to play for the doubles point. Cardenas and Rupert controlled their second court match from the outset, defeating Wanko and Gomez, 6-1.
However, the other two courts each went to tiebreaks tied at 6-6 as the Priates continued to make UH battle. Kordolaimi and Vogasari fought off a slew of match points to defeat LaDuca and Castro on the top court, 10-8, while Markovic and Lorenzo fell on court three to Hoch and Dana Gray, 8-6.
Kordolaimi has now accounted for 24 singles victories this season, a new single-season career high. The senior is 16-1 in the spring and has won 19 of her last 20 completed matches.
Vogasari has also won 24 times this year, one shy of a career best. She is 13-3 in the spring.
Cardenas is up to 14 victories, while Lorenzo owns 13 this season. Rupert and Markovic have each won nine times.
The Cougars have won all five of their matches against American Athletic Conference opponents. Individually, the Cougars are 24-4 in American singles contests this season.
 | RESULTS |
SINGLES
1. #33 Despoina Vogasari (UH) def. Nicole LaDuca (ECU) 6-3, 6-2
2. #107 Elena Kordolaimi (UH) def. Michelle Castro (ECU) 6-2, 6-3
3. Tina Rupert (UH) def. Maria Gomez (ECU) 6-1, 6-2
4. Mina Markovic (UH) def. Sarah Sarjoo (ECU) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
5. Maria Cardenas (UH) def. Katie Hoch (ECU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
6. Angela Lorenzo (UH) def. Neena Wanko (ECU) 6-4, 1-6, 6-2
DOUBLES
1. Elena Kordolaimi/Despoina Vogasari (UH) def. Nicole LaDuca/Michelle Castro (ECU) 7-6 (10-8)
2. Maria Cardenas/Tina Rupert (UH) def. Neena Wanko/Maria Gomez (ECU) 6-1
3. Katie Hoch/Dana Gray (ECU) def. Angela Lorenzo/Mina Markovic (UH) 7-6 (8-6)
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (1,3,2,4,6,5)
| UP NEXT FOR THE COUGARS |
Houston hosts No. 62 Marshall on Sunday at the John E. Hoff Courts. A victory would be the 11th straight for Sullivan's team, which would stand alone as the second-longest streak in school history. The match starts at 11 am CT, and live scoring can be followed at UHCougars.com/TennisScores.
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The Cougars are proud to introduce the Center Court Club, a restricted-giving program that directly impacts the needs of the University of Houston Tennis program. Gifts to the Center Court Club provide financial support directly to the University of Houston Tennis program for needs beyond the program's operating budget. Revenue generated from the Center Court Club is used at the discretion of the Head Coach for program enhancements. Membership in the Center Court Club is annual and requires a minimum $100 gift.
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GRAND SLAM
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Players Mentioned
