Athletic Report
May 4, 2001

ENMU OPENS NCAA MIDWEST REGIONAL WITH 5-1 WIN OVER WASHBURN UNIVERSITY
TOPEKA, KS — Eastern New Mexico University, ranked #26 in NCAA Division II, swept all three doubles matches on its way to a 5-1 victory over Washburn University in the semifinals of the Midwest Regional, Friday, May 4, in Topeka, Kan.

The Zias, now 10-7 on the season, will play in the Regional Championship match at 8:00 a.m. (MDT) on Saturday, May 5, against 16th-ranked Ferris State University, 21-5.

FSU defeated Northern Michigan University, 5-3, in the other semifinal. The semifinal matches were played indoors at the Wood Valley Racquet Club after rain prevented the teams from playing on Washburn’s outdoor courts.

ENMU and Ferris State will also play the Regional Championship match at Wood Valley. The Regional winner will advance to the 16-team NCAA Division II National Finals, set for May 10-13, in Pensacola, Fla.

Ferris State began the day seeded 1st in the Regional, and ENMU was seeded 2nd. Washburn, seeded 3rd, fell to 21-3 on the season, while 4th-seeded Northern Michigan dropped to 15-9.

Against Washburn, ENMU took a 3-0 lead in doubles. Eastern’s top doubles team of Layla Turner (Jr., Casa Grande, AZ/Casa Grande Union H.S.) and Bethanie Nix (Fr., Spring, TX/Newman Smith H.S.) easily defeated Washburn’s team of Marissa Moment and Aisha Butt, 8-2. At #2 doubles, Lisa Weinman (So., Albuquerque, NM/West Mesa H.S.) and Sarah Pennington (Jr., Sweetwater, TX/Sweetwater H.S.) downed Erin Underwood and Lindsay Sullivan, 8-5.

ENMU’s #3 doubles team of Ananda Kautz (Fr., Rio de Janeiro, BRA/Pleasant Valley H.S., CA) and Sarah Salazar (So., Belen, NM/Saint Pius X H.S.) edged Washburn’s Holly Munro and Carrie Wadley, 9-7. The #3 doubles match featured several momentum swings before Kautz and Salazar were victorious for the Zias.

“We pulled ahead at the start, and they (Washburn) came back and overtook us at 5-4,” ENMU Head Coach Christine Blaeser said. The Zias also led 7-6 and 40-love, but the Lady Blues rallied to tie the match.“It was tied 7-7, then we won the next two,” she concluded.

A change in strategy helped Kautz and Salazar secure the victory. “We were having trouble receiving one girl’s serve, so we started the points with both of our players back (at the baseline),” Blaeser said. “I think that was what made the difference in the match.”

The Zias also won #3 singles and #5 singles. Nix won the #3 singles match, 6-4, 6-3, against Underwood, while Pennington claimed the #5 singles victory, 6-0, 6-2, over Munro. Washburn’s only win came at #2 singles, when Butt defeated Weinman, 6-1, 6-2. The other singles matches were halted once ENMU clinched the overall victory.

“We just played solid tennis,” Blaeser said. “I think it was huge for us to sweep the doubles. It gave us some momentum heading into the singles.”

Pennington’s singles win took very little time and gave ENMU its fourth team point. The Zias were then within one win of the victory.

“I was really proud of the girls,” Blaeser added. “Ananda and Layla were about to finish their matches, and Bethanie just finished first (to clinch the team win). Everyone was doing their best and not relying on somebody else to win the match.”

ENMU has little time to prepare for its rematch with Ferris State, which defeated the Zias, 5-1, at the University of Central Oklahoma Broncho Invitational, Apr. 14.

“It’s going to be a totally new ballgame from the last time we met them because we didn’t have Layla (due to illness),” Blaeser said. “I think if we play really consistent, aggressive tennis, we can pull it off.”

Turner, ranked #16 in NCAA Division II, will take on Jennifer Garvey, ranked #29. Turner and Nix, ranked #22 in doubles, will battle Garvey and Barbora Jilkova, ranked #12.