Feb. 29, 2008

The University of Northern Colorado women's tennis team had 11 days between its last match, loss to the Air Force Academy on Feb. 17, and its home match against Gonzaga on Friday, Feb. 29, at Work Out West in Greeley.

The layoff didn't help.

The Bears weren't able to win the doubles point and they won just two of the six singles matches against the Bulldogs. The 5-2 defeat pushed Northern Colorado's season mark to 2-7.

The Bears will next play against UTEP at home on Friday, Feb. 2.

Northern Colorado's No. 1 doubles team of Manuela Santos and Tabitha Knop knocked off Gonzaga's top squad of Emily Anderson and Agalya Kokurina on Friday, but that's all coach Brenda Vlasak's squad would get in the doubles portion of the match.

The Bulldogs' Anderson (No. 1) and Kokurina (No. 2) also won their singles matches before Northern Colorado's Tiffany Knop won at No. 3 singles, 6-0, 6-0, against Clarie Dodge.

Karen Groll followed with a 6-3, 6-1 loss at No. 4 singles for the Bears before Jodi Ciarvella won at No. 5 singles, defeating Krista Lederhouse 6-3, 2-0 (retire) Luiza Xavier suffered a tough loss at No. 6 singles, falling 6-1, 6-3 (13-11).

Gonzaga 5 Northern Colorado 2
Doubles
1 Santos/Knop (NC) def. Anderson/Kokurina, 8-6 2. Lederhouse/Macwilliam (Gonz.) def. Ciravella/Knop, 8-4 3. Dodge/Farmer (Gonz.) def. LaForest/Groll, 8-2

Singles
1. Emily Anderson (Gonz.) def. Tabitha Knop, 3-6, 6-1, 5-7 2. Agalya Kokurina (Gonz.) def. Manuela Santos, 6-1 , 6-3 3. Tiffany Knop (NC) def. Clarie Dodge, 6-0 6-0 4. Rika Mehadriratta (Gonz.) def. Karen Groll, 6-3 6-1 5. Jodi Ciarvella (NC) def. Krista Lederhouse, 6-3 2-0 (ret.) 6. Kirska Macwilliam (Gonz.) def. Luiza Xavier, 6-1 6-3 (13-11)