April 4, 2008

DENVER, Colo -- A sweep through the doubles competition set the stage for Denver's women's tennis victory against Northern Colorado on Friday, April 4, but the Bears hung tough and won a pair of singles matches in the 5-2 loss.

The Pioneers (17-2) came into the match ranked No. 27 in the country, and it appeared they would were on their way to an easy victory once the doubles portion of the match was complete.

But Tiffany Knop got a straight sets (6-2, 6-2) victory at No. 3 singles against Denver's Kyla Iwinski, and the Bears' Jodi Ciarvella got a straight sets (6-1, 6-1) win at No. 6 singles against Mikele Smith to keep the score close.

"We competed very well today against 27th-ranked Denver," Northern Colorado coach Brenda Vlasak said. "I was proud of how well everyone increased their level of play."

In the end, Northern Colorado (4-12, 1-5 in the Big Sky) was just overmatched by the nationally-ranked Pioneers.

Even the Bears' top doubles team of Tiffany Knop and Manuela Santos, who came into the match with an 11-3 doubles record and the winners of 10 in a row, came up short. They lost 8-4 to Iwinski and Ute Schnoy, Denver's top duo

Regardless, Vlasak said she was encouraged by her team's perseverance against a tough foe.

"It's refreshing to see how much we have improved throughout the season," she said. "We hope to keep the momentum going with two crucial Big Sky matches ahead of us."

The Bears will next play in-state rival Colorado State on Wednesday, April 9, and Utah State on Friday, April 11, before closing out their regular season against conference teams Weber State on Saturday, April 12, and Idaho State on Sunday, April 13.

RESULTS
Denver 5, Northern Colorado 2
Doubles
1. Kyla Iwinski/Ute Schnoy (DEN) def. Tabatha Knop/Manuela Santos, 8-4
2. Annette Aksdal/Bhavani Tirumurti def. Jodi Ciarvella/Karen Groll, 8-2
3. Kaja Smole/Mikele Smith (DEN) def. Hannah LaForest/Tiffany Knop, 8-4

Singles
1. Aksdal (DEN) def. Tabatha Knop, 6-1 6-1
2. Schnoy (DEN) def. Santos, 6-2 7-5
3. Tiffany Knop (UNCO) def. Iwinski, 6-2 6-2
4. Tirumurti (DEN) def. Groll, 6-4 6-1
5. Smole (DEN) def. Luiza Xavier, 6-2 3-6 10-7
6. Ciarvella (UNCO) def. Smith, 6-1 6-1