Mainz Earns 100th Win as Tide Tops Boston University
3/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
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| Jenny Mainz |
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ?? The Alabama Crimson Tide (6-5, 3-1 SEC) defeated Boston University Saturday 6-1 to earn its fourth consecutive victory and give head coach Jenny Mainz her 100th career win in front of family and friends on “Parent’s Weekend”.
The Tide played well on every court and lost just one match all day to give Mainz her 100th win in convincing fashion. Ashley Bentley’s win at No. 2 singles clinched it for Alabama.
“It was a great day,” Mainz said. “We played well and beat a good team. We’re taking the necessary steps to get better. You always have to be ready to play and we took care of things today. We didn’t let up at all and didn’t have any lapses.”
“This senior class has done a lot of winning and that’s why we reached this accomplishment today,” Mainz said. “They are the ones to be commended.”
Alabama grabbed momentum early the match. The Tide jumped out to 2-0 leads on all three doubles courts, but Natalie McElveen and Andrea Brenes really set the tone for the afternoon. The duo breezed past Boston’s Cori Lefkowith and Danielle Abraham 8-1 in just 35 minutes. Robin Stephenson and Bentley led the entire way at No. 1, winning 8-5 and clinching the doubles point for the Tide.
Muller and Day, however, needed a bit more drama to complete the doubles sweep at No. 2. Despite taking an early 2-0 advantage, Boston’s Erin Katims and Laura Ahmes fought back to even the match at 2-2 and it stayed on serve until Muller and Day broke serve to take a 7-6 advantage. The duo then served out for the 8-6 win.
??Bama carried its momentum into singles play. Stephenson cruised to a 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 1 while Bentley, Muller and Shelley Godwin each earned straight set wins of their own. Then at No. 5, McElveen stormed back after dropping her opening set to win the match.
Alabama will look to extend its winning streak to five on Sunday as it turns around and plays Michigan at the UA Tennis Complex at 11 a.m.
Tennis Match Results
Boston vs No. 35 Alabama
Mar 18, 2006 at Tuscaloosa, Ala.
#35 Alabama 6, Boston 1
Singles competition:
1. #11 Robin Stephenson (UA) def. Erin Katims (BU) 6-0, 6-1
2. Ashley Bentley (UA) def. Gina Sabatino (BU) 6-1, 6-1
3. Mari Muller (UA) def. Laura Ahmes (BU) 6-2, 6-2
4. Shelley Godwin (UA) def. Yana Sadovskaya (BU) 6-4, 6-2
5. Natalie McElveen (UA) def. Cori Lefkowith (BU) 4-6, 6-1, 1-0
6. Danielle Abraham (BU) def. Sofia Ayala (UA) 7-5, 6-4
Doubles competition:
1. #16 Robin Stephenson/Ashley Bentley (UA) def. Monica Shepard/Gina Sabatino (BU) 8-5
2. Mari Muller/Melissa Day (UA) def. Erin Katims/Laura Ahmes (BU) 8-6
3. Natalie McElveen/Andrea Brenes (UA) def. Cori Lefkowith/Danielle Abraham (BU) 8-1
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (1,3,2,4,5,6)
