GLENDALE, AZ – BYU-Hawaii, Chaminade and Hawai'i Pacific advanced to the semifinals of the 2010 Hawaiian Airlines Pacific West Conference Women's Tennis Championship on Thursday, while Dixie State remained in the winners bracket of the tournament for the first time in team history after defeating Grand Canyon 5-4.
All four quarterfinal matches were held at the Paseo Racquet Club in Glendale, AZ, during the opening day of the three-day PacWest Championship.
Reigning conference champion BYU-Hawaii, the number one seed in the tournament, dispatched #8 Dominican (CA) 6-0 by sweeping all three doubles contests 8-0 and winning at first, second and sixth singles. Second-seed HPU blanked #7 Academy of Art 5-0, while #3 Chaminade defeated #6 Hawai'i Hilo 5-1.
In the closest match of the day, #5 Dixie State upended #4 Grand Canyon 5-4 thanks to a 2-1 edge in doubles contests. Each team won three singles bouts.
With the teams tied 3-3, all eyes turned toward sixth singles where Dixie State sophomore Lauren Tarver (Wrightwood. CA/Serrano) (Wrightwood, CA/Serrano) and Grand Canyon junior Ali Brackey (Sahuarita, AZ/Sahuarita) split the first two sets of the contest-deciding match. Tarver won the opener 6-3, while Brackey rallied for a 7-5 win in the second set. But it was Tarver in the third and final set taking a 6-1 win to steal the sixth singles contest and give the match to the Red Storm.
It marked the first time in Dixie State women's tennis history that the Red Storm has advanced into the conference semifinals.
Tarver also was part of a thrilling 8-7 third doubles win for Dixie State when she and freshman Adrienne Davis (Salt Lake City, UT/Olympus) (Salt Lake City, UT/Olympus) eked out a one-point win. Junior Lydia Hays (Salt Lake City, UT/Skyline ) (Salt Lake City, UT/Skyline) and senior Ashley Lafeen (Murray. UT/Murray HS) (Murray, UT/Murray) claimed a second doubles win by the score of 8-3.
Lafeen also earned a 6-2, 6-0 third singles victory while freshman Courtney Kezerian (Orem, UT/Orem) (Orem, UT/Orem) captured a 6-2, 7-5 fifth singles win.
Grand Canyon claimed a victory at first doubles by the score of 8-2 thanks to the partnership of junior Cecilia Vergnet (France) and junior Stephanie Haldeman (Peoria, AZ/Centennial). Vergnet also captured first singles 7-6, 6-2, while Haldeman claimed second singles 6-1, 6-1. Freshman Kaila Knopf (Phoenix, AZ/Pinnacle) posted a 6-2, 6-1 fourth singles victory.
Dixie State will battle BYU-Hawaii at 10 a.m. on Friday thanks to the Seasiders' lopsided win over the Penguins. Sophomore Yuan Jia (China) and junior Hewenfei (Elwen) Li (China) teamed up for an 8-0 win at first doubles, then split up to take first and second singles in a sweep. Jia captured first singles 6-0, 6-2, while Li won second singles 6-0, 6-1.
Junior Salina Aranda (Kirksville, TX/Kirksville) also was a double-winner, taking sixth singles 6-0, 6-0 and teaming up with senior Seulki (Jenny) Chin (South Korea) for an 8-0 blanking at second doubles. Junior Ayako Ikeda (Japan) and sophomore Shawni Porter (Mesa, AZ/Mountain View) easily claimed third doubles 8-0.
Hawai'i Pacific moved quickly into the semifinals against Chaminade by sweeping the three doubles matches vs. Academy of Art before taking first and sixth singles by identical 6-0, 6-0 scores. The Sea Warriors will battle the Silverswords also at 10 a.m. on Friday in the other semifinal contest
Sophomore Zora Vlckova (Czech Republic) and junior Aleksandra Stankovic (Sweden) captured first and sixth singles, respectively, while Vlckova teamed up with senior Ingrid Cseh (Romania) to win first doubles 8-1. Stankovic and junior Sandra Wikstrom (Sweden) claimed second doubles 8-2, leaving senior Tinka Mihonva (Bulgaria) and junior Nina Mihova (Bulgaria) to collect third doubles 8-1.
Chaminade also grabbed all three doubles contests in its win over Hawai'i Hilo. Sophomore Yuko Kondo (Irvine, CA/San Joaquin) and senior Tiffany De Vincent (Waialua, HI/Waialua) earned an 8-0 win at first doubles, while sophomore Natalie Phanphengdy (Aiea, HI/Aiea) and senior Stacey Chaussoy (French Polynesia) captured second doubles 8-5. Third doubles belonged to sophomore Karen Chaussoy (French Polynesia) and junior Silkie Kawahakui (Waialua, HI/Waialua) by the same score.
Stacey Chaussoy picked up another win at fourth singles by the count of 6-0, 6-1, and Kawahakui claimed fifth singles 6-0, 6-2.
Hawai'i Hilo's lone victory came at third singles thanks to freshman Anna Hamlin (Sweden) who swept her foe 6-1, 6-1.
Grand Canyon and Dominican will square off at 1 p.m. on Friday in one of two consolation semifinals, while Academy of Art and Hawai'i Hilo will battle in the other match-up at the same time.
Members of the media, as well as fans of the PacWest and its member institutions, can follow the results of the Pacific West Conference Women's Tennis Championships at www.pacificwestsports.org. Check out complete tennis statistics and box scores on the PacWest Women's Tennis website at: http://www.pacificwestsports.org/sports/wten/2009-10/stats/confstat.htm.
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