May 12, 2007
BERKELEY, Calif. - The No. 18 ASU Women's Tennis team opened post-season NCAA tournament action Saturday which saw them cruise to a perfect 4-0 win over the #46 UNLV Rebels at Hellman Tennis Center in Berkeley. The win gives ASU their 13th of the year as the Sun Devils now advance to the second round where they will face No. 10 Cal tomorrow at noon.
The Sun Devils jumped out to a quick start on the Rebels in doubles play as Rebecca Rankin and Laila Abdala took care of Claire Smith and Alisa Razina in the three-spot with a 8-2 win. Riding their coattails were Devil teammates, Sabrina Capannolo and Jessica Leitch who topped UNLV's Nikol Dimitrova and Linda Tempelfelde 8-2 as well in the No. 2 spot to clinch the point.
Singles action showed a similar story as the Sun Devils took three matches in straight sets to win it. Roxanne Clarke pulled in first with a perfect 6-0, 6-0 win over Nikol Dimitrova in the three-spot, followed with a 6-4, 6-2 win from Nadia Abdala in the No. 2 spot. The match clinching point came from Kady Pooler in the four-spot, beating Linda Tempelfelde 6-4, 7-6.
The Sun Devils now advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament which will see them take on Pac-10 foes, the 10th-ranked California Golden Bears tomorrow in Berkeley. The match is set to kick off at noon with live stats and video on calbears.com.
Results from No. 18 ASU vs. No. 46 UNLV (NCAA First Round)
Doubles Results:
1. Kady Pooler/Roxanne Clarke(ASU) vs. Elena Gantcheva/Kristina
Nedeltcheva(UNLV), susp.
2. Sabrina Capannolo/Jessica Leitch(ASU) def. Nikol Dimitrova/Linda
Tempelfelde (UNLV), 8-2
3. Rebecca Rankin/Laila Abdala(ASU) def. Claire Smith/Alisa Razina
(UNLV), 8-2
Order of Finish: 3, 2
Singles Results:
1. #70 Sabrina Capannolo (ASU) vs. #76 Elena Gantcheva (UNLV) susp.
2. #33 Nadia Abdala (ASU) def. Kristina Nedeltcheva (UNLV) 6-4, 6-2
3. Roxanne Clarke (ASU) def. Nikol Dimitrova (UNLV) 6-0, 6-0
4. Kady Pooler (ASU) def. Linda Tempelfelde (UNLV) 6-2, 7-6
5. Rebecca Rankin (ASU) vs. Alisa Razina (UNLV) susp.
6. Laila Abdala (ASU) vs. Claire Smith (UNLV) susp.
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 4