No. 33 SMU W-Tennis Advances to C-USA Semifinals
ORLANDO, Fla (SMU) – The No. 33 SMU Women’s Tennis team opened the 2011 Conference USA Women’s Tennis Tournament on Friday with an easy 4-0 win over East Carolina at the Lake Cane Tennis Center in Orlando, Fla.
The victory was the squad’s eighth in a row as the Mustangs improved to 20-4 overall. The team has also won 11 of its last 12 contests.
“I thought we came out focused and ready to play,” said head coach Lauren Longbotham Meisner. “We have been playing some good tennis lately and that continued today. We were strong in doubles and that mentality carried over into singles and we took care of business. Now we need to rest up and get ready to face a tough Marshall team tomorrow.”
Doubles play saw the Mustangs quickly gain the 1-0 advantage.
Marta Lesniak and Aleksandra Malyarchikova wasted little time in sweeping the ECU duo of Collins/Vogel, 8-0, at the No. 1 line.
Minutes later, Heather Steinbauer and Edyta Cieplucha dispatched of Wanko/Bissat at No. 2, 8-2, to clinch the doubles point.
Lesniak was first off the courts in singles when she took out Jessica Cook at No. 1, 6-1, 6-1. The nation’s ninth-ranked singles player earned her 17th consecutive singles decision and won her 20th match overall this spring. Her 39 total wins on the season place her alone in second on the program’s all-time single season wins list.
Lesniak is alone in fifth place on the all-time career wins list. She currently has 82 career victories in her three-year stint on the Hilltop.
Steinbauer finished next for SMU as she also cruised to victory. The junior dropped just one game en route to her 6-0, 6-1, win over Wanko at No. 4
The match was halted once Cieplucha claimed her win at No. 2 over Collins in comeback fashion. The native of Poland rallied to claim a 7-5 first-set win and then cruised in the second set, winning 6-1.
Friday’s win improved Meisner’s coaching record to 102-27 (.792) at the helm of the Mustangs. The fifth-year head coach has the most wins in the history of the program and is also the program’s only 100-match winner.
SMU returns to action on Saturday, April 23 when they face third-seeded Marshal in the semifinals of the C-USA Tournament.
