Alabama's Ashley Bentley Advances at NCAA Championships
5/23/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
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Athens, Ga. -- Alabama junior Ashley Bentley (26-9) advanced Monday to the second round of the NCAA Tennis Championships with a 7-5, 6-3, straight set win over Tulsa’s Daniela Muscolino.
The win makes Bentley just the fourth Crimson Tide tennis player to advance past the first round in the NCAA Championships and the second in two years.
“This is a good win for Ashley,” Alabama head coach Jenny Mainz said. “Muscolino is a good player and Ashley had to play well to win today. She didn’t play her best tennis but the key was that she did what she needed to at the crucial times. As this week has progressed she has started playing better and better.”
Bentley played ahead throughout most of the match. Leading 6-5 in the opening set, she was able to hold serve in the twelfth game to take the set 7-5. She was then able to finish off Muscolino in the second set for the victory.
This is Bentley’s fifth career win in NCAA Championship competition and first career win the singles championship. Her next opponent, SEC Player of the Year and fourth seeded Aibika Kalsarieva of Kentucky, is certainly someone Bentley is familiar with. However, the two did not play earlier this season when Kentucky visited Tuscaloosa on April 3 and the two have never met in their collegiate careers. They’ll meet Tuesday for the time. Bentley will be attempting to become just the second player in Alabama history to advance to the Round of 16.
“Certainly, Ashley has seen Kalsarieva play before,” Mainz said. “Ashley will be ready.”
Bentley’s teammate Robin Stephenson, the Championships’ sixth seed, didn’t fair quite as well. Stephenson bowed out in the first round by losing a three-set heartbreaker to UCLA’s Riza Zalameda.
Stephenson looked as though she’d cruise after winning the first set easily 6-2. However, Zalameda, whom Stephenson defeated earlier this season 6-3, 6-0, fought back to win the second set and even the match. Zalameda then claimed the upper hand when she broke Stephenson’s serve to go up 5-4 in the third, then served out for the victory.
Stephenson finishes the 2005 season at 27-13. Her 27 wins rank ninth on Alabama’s all-time single-season wins list.
