Athletic Report
October 19, 2001

LAYLA TURNER LOSES TO TOP SEED IN SEMIS OF ITA/ROLEX NATIONAL TOURNAMENT
PLANO, TX — Senior tennis player Layla Turner (Casa Grande, AZ/Casa Grande Union H.S.) of Eastern New Mexico University lost to Zsofia Golopencza of Armstrong Atlantic State University (Ga.), 6-0, 6-2, in the semifinals of the ITA/Rolex NCAA Division II National Tournament, Thursday, Oct. 19 in Plano, Texas.

Monika Mastalirova of Lynn University (Fla.) defeated Victoria Domina of Ouachita Baptist University (Ark.), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, in the other semifinal match. Golopencza, the #1 seed, will take on Mastalirova, the #2 seed, in the championship match on Saturday, Oct. 20.

Turner will play Domina in the third place match, also on Oct. 20. Both matches will be played at 7:30 a.m. (MST). In one of the consolation bracket matches on Oct. 19, Deniz Emre of Lees-McRae (N.C.) defeated Erin Bartsch of Bloomsburg University (Pa.), 6-2, 6-1. Ana Skafar of Lees-McRae edged Michaela Kratochvilova of Armstrong Atlantic, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3, in the other consolation match.

The ITA/Rolex National Small College Tennis Championships feature some of the top players in NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, the NAIA and the NJCAA. Each division has singles and doubles brackets for men and women. The tournament continues through Oct. 21, ending with the Rolex “Super Bowl”, which matches the NCAA Division II national champions in singles and doubles against champions from NCAA Division III, the NAIA and the NJCAA.

The NCAA Division II portion of the National Tournament features six champions from ITA/Rolex regional tournaments this fall, plus two alternates from regions with champions who were not available to compete.

Turner won the ITA/Rolex Central Regional title for the third consecutive year, defeating Lacy Johnson of Abilene Christian University in the finals, 7-5, 6-2, Oct. 7 in Greeley, Colorado. Turner placed 6th in singles and 5th in doubles at the ITA/Rolex National Tournament for NCAA Division II in 1999. She placed 4th in singles last season, and has clinched at least a 4th place finish this year.

After qualifying in both singles and doubles in 1999, she qualified for the singles bracket in 1999, and earned another berth in singles competition this fall.