March 5, 2007

Amherst, MA (CSTV U-WIRE) -- The Massachusetts women's tennis team earned victories against Hofstra and Army this weekend, improving its overall record to 6-3 (1-0 Atlantic 10) on the year.

UMass travels to Ithaca, N.Y. later this week to take on Binghamton on Friday and Cornell on Saturday.

The Minutewomen dominated Hofstra on Friday afternoon, winning all nine matches played. UMass coach Judy Dixon decided to alter the lineup, as she wanted to give some of the players who practice hard every day some game action against a weaker opponent.

Last year's doubles team of Michelle Spiess and Masha Pozar were reunited, and the latter did not play singles. This move bumped Ellen de Jong up to No. 2 and Maude Lecluyse to No. 3., Stephanie Gimenez moved up to No. 4 from her usual No. 6 position and Laura Murillo and Carly Ludmer got their first singles playing time at Nos. 5 and 6 respectively.

Spiess, who was named Atlantic 10 Most Outstanding Performer by the conference's head coaches last year, cruised to an easy 6-1, 6-2 victory at the No. 1 slot over Hofstra's Stacey Kent.

Lecluyse, Gimenez and Ludmer all defeated their opponents by scores of 6-0, 6-0, while Murillo won 6-1, 6-0.

Two-time Atlantic 10 women's tennis Rookie of the Week, Ellen de Jong dropped her first set, 4-6, but rallied to victory with 6-3 and 10-7 in the second and third sets respectively.

The doubles teams also took care of business against their opponents. Spiess and Pozar coasted to an 8-2 victory - Lecluyse and de Jong won 8-0 - while Murillo and Gimenez scored a shutout as well.

The matchup against the Army Black Knights proved a lot tougher for the Minutewomen. In the end, it was their singles players who provided the difference in a tough fought 4-3 victory.

Pozar and Spiess were defeated by Army's Niki Flach and Brooke Jones, 8-3, at the No. 1 doubles spot. Lecluyse and and de Jong were able to pick up the only doubles victory for Army, winning its match 8-1. Gimenez and Dasa Stanimirovic went down 8-4.

Dixon is impressed by her top three singles players.

"I take my hat off to my one, two and three players," Dixon said. "They win all the time."

Stanimirovic and Gimenez were defeated at the Nos. 4 and 6 respectively, while Lecluyse provided the Minutewomen's fourth singles victory of the day at the No. 5 spot, beating Army's Bridie Burke 6-3, 7-5. Dixon was impressed with Lecluyse's much needed victory under pressure that sealed the win for the Minutewomen.

Dixon was most pleased with the victory over Army

"The Army win was a huge win for us," she said. "We had lost the last five years to Army. They're tough to beat because they fight hard. You have to go and beat them and not be intimidated because they're the Army. We competed well."

With her two victories over the weekend, Spiess now finds herself only five wins short of breaking Jackie Braustein's singles wins record of 59.

(C) 2007 Massachusetts Daily Collegian via CSTV U-WIRE