Blackbirds Defeat UConn, 6-1; Split Two Matches Over Weekend

2/13/06 -- The Long Island Unversity women's tennis team opened up its 2006 spring campaign with a pair of matches at the Lichtenberg Tennis Center in West Point, N.Y. over the weekend. The Blackbirds dropped their first match, 6-1, to the University of Massachusetts on Friday before winning a convincing 6-1 decision against UConn on Saturday.

LIU won its only point in the Friday match against UMass in singles competition as freshman Ashley Harvey (Randallstown, Md.) defeated Dorothy Iwanowicz, 6-1, 6-3. The Minuewomen won the doubles point, 3-0, and were victorious in the other five singles matches in straight sets.

On Saturday the Blackbirds defeated the University of Connecticut convincingly, 6-1. Senior Jessica Loose (Scheessel, Germany) took the tops singles match, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) over the Huskies' Christine Burek while junior Merve Koksal (Ankara, Turkey) won #2 singles, dropping Jaclyn Shapiro, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3).

Harvey moved to 2-0 on the weekend with a 6-4, 6-4 win over BreAnn Cheung. Senior Krystina Bachner (Penfield, N.Y.) won the most entertaining match of the weekend, rallying from down one set to win her match, 2-6, 6-3, 10-7.

The Blackbirds won the doubles point, 2-1, as the team of Koksal/Bachner won 8-5 while Loose and freshman Amy Hosotsuji (Toronto, Ontario) secured the point with an 8-4 victory.

LIU will continue its spring season Friday, Feb. 17 as they take on Seton Hall at 6:00 p.m.