April 3, 2009

NORTHRIDGE, Calif. -

The Cal State Northridge women's tennis team (9-12) fell, 4-3, Friday afternoon to LMU in its home season finale at the Matador Tennis Complex. Evgeniya Vertesheva, Nina Jaworowski and Nigora Sirojiddinova all earned singles wins for the Matadors, while Vertesheva teamed with Brooke Doane to win their top-seeded doubles match.

With one match remaining on the season, Vertesheva and Doane are now 16-2 on the season, all at the No. 1 position. Friday, they defeated Jane Pringle and Bliss Nixon, 8-4.

However, the Lions would take the doubles point by winning the second and third match. Jasmin Heckel and Elisaveta Pironkova defeated Jawoworski and Sirojiddinova, 8-4, at No. 2 and Shauna Morgan and Tina Razloznik downed Sandra Kukla and Whitney Paluch, 8-3, at No. 3.

In singles action, CSUN took two of the top three matches. Vertesheva defeated Razloznik 6-2, 6-1 in the No. 1 match and Jaworowski won in three sets, 6-7, 6-3 and 6-4, at the No. 2 spot. Vertesheva is 11-9 on the year and Jaworowski is 12-7.

Sirojiddinova improved to 11-10 on the year with a 7-5, 6-0 decision over Morgan at the No. 5 position to earn CSUN's final point.

The Lions took the fourth-seeded point, as Paluch fell 6-4, 6-2 to Pringle. They also picked up the sixth-seeded match, as Nixon defeated Kukla, 6-5, 7-5.

In what would turn out to be the deciding point of the match, Doane lost in three sets, 6-3, 6-7 (4) and 7-5, to Pironkova in the No. 3 contest. 

Before the match, the Matadors held a pre-match ceremony for the team's lone senior, Sandra Kukla. She is currently pursuing a Master's Degree in journalism at CSUN. 

Northridge has one match remaining in the season, a Big West Conference meeting with UC Riverside. The Highlanders host the Matadors on April 7 with first serve slated for 2 p.m.

LMU 4, CSUN 3

Doubles

1. Vertesehva/Doane (CSUN) def. Pringle/Nixon (LMU) 8-4

2. Heckel/Pironlova (LMU) def. Jaworowski/Sirojiddinova (CSUN) 8-4

3. Morgan/Razloznik (LMU) def. Kukla/Paluch (CSUN) 8-3

Singles

1. Vertesheva (CSUN) def. Razloznik (LMU) 6-2, 6-1

2. Jaworowski (CSUN) def. Heckel (LMU) 6-7, 6-3, 6-4

3. Pironkova (LMU) def. Doane (CSUN) 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-5

4. Pringle (LMU) def. Paluch (CSUN) 6-4, 6-2

5. Sirojiddinova (CSUN) def. Morgan (LMU) 7-5, 6-0

6. Nixon (LMU) def. Kukla (CSUN) 6-4, 7-5