April 2, 2005

Johnson City, Tenn. - The Western Carolina women's tennis team fell in straight sets, 7-0, to the East Tennessee State Buccaneers Saturday afternoon in the Memorial Center in Southern Conference action. East Tennessee State improves to 15-5 overall, 5-1 in the SoCon, while Western Carolina falls to 4-11, 0-6.

In doubles, April Yount and Susanna Sjokvist dropped the first doubles match to the Buc team of Olya Batsula and Gemma Halim at No. 3 by a score of 8-0. Western lost the doubles point when ETSU's Masha Ilina and Sylwia Ziolkowska knocked off Western's tandem of Trish Hansen and Katherine Ptak with an 8-4 win at No. 1. Rounding out the double's action, WCU senior Kristin Cotton and freshman Ashley Harris fell to East's Sandie Knight and Elena Volobueva at No. 2, 8-0.

In singles action, the Bucs took all six points in straight sets. The deciding point of the match was brought in by freshman Batsula, who defeated Harris at the fourth slot in a 6-1, 6-0 decision.

Western Carolina continues its current road swing by traveling to Greenville, S.C., on Wednesday to face the Furman Paladins at 3:00 pm.

East Tennessee State 7, Western Carolina 0
Doubles

1. Ilina/Ziolkowska (ETSU) d. Hanson/Ptak (WCU) 8-4
2. Volobueva/Knight (ETSU) d. Cotton/Harris (WCU) 8-4
3. Batsula/Halim (ETSU) d. Yount/Sjokvist (WCU) 8-0
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2

Singles
1. Sandie Knight (ETSU) d. Trish Hanson (WCU) 6-0, 6-4
2. Masha Ilina (ETSU) d. Katherine Ptak (WCU) 6-1, 6-0
3.  Sylwia Ziolkowska (ETSU) d. Kristin Cotton (WCU)	6-0, 6-2
4. Olya Batsula (ETSU) d. Ashley Harris (WCU) 6-1, 6-0
5. Elena Volobueva (ETSU) d. Susanna Sjokvist (WCU) 6-1, 6-3
6. Gemma Halim (ETSU) d. April Yount (WCU) 6-1, 6-0
Order of Finish: 6, 2, 4*, 3, 5, 1
* - Clinching point