#7 Patriot Women fall to #1 Seasiders 5-1 at NCAA Finals

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, FL - Despite putting up a valiant effort, seventh-ranked Francis Marion University fell to top-ranked and unbeaten BYU-Hawaii 5-1, Wednesday evening (May 13) in Sweet Sixteen action at the NCAA Division II Women’s Tennis Championships.

Francis Marion ends its season at 20-5. The Patriots, who lose no seniors off this year's roster, were making their second consecutive Sweet Sixteen appearance.

The Seasiders (27-0) opened up the afternoon with three-straight victories in doubles. The first slot combo of Elwen Li and Yuan Jia, the top-ranked doubles team in Division II, picked up a hard-fought 8-3 decision over the sixth-ranked duo of Jitka Gavdunova and Kristyna Horakova.

The second doubles position saw the No. 8-ranked doubles team of Jenny Chin and Wen-Lin Wang defeated the No. 13 pair of Tereza Sykorova and Sabina Baberadova 8-4, and in the third flight BYU-Hawaii's Ayako Ikeda and Shawni Porter beat FMU's Valeska Ibscher and Saskia Ludwig 8-2.

Francis Marion's lone win came at No.5 singles when Baberadova, a sophomore, picked up a 6-0, 6-3 decision over Ikeda.
The fourth and sixth singles spots provided the cliniching two points for BYU-Hawaii as Wang won a three-set match 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 over Ibscher and Porter captured a 6-3, 6-3 win over Ludwig.

When the match ended, FMU was leading at two of the other singles positions. Sykorova, a junior, was leading Li, the third-ranked singles player in Division II, 7-5, 2-3 at the No.1 position, while Gavdunova was also leading at No. 3 singles over 17th-ranked Chin 6-3, 3-2. Horakova was in a tight battle, down 6-7, 1-2, to fourth-ranked Jia at No. 2 singles.

BYU-Hawaii advances to play second-ranked Lynn University in the national quarterfinals on Thursday at 1 p.m.

Tennis Match Results
Francis Marion University vs BYU-Hawaii
05/13/09 at Altamonte Springs, Fla.

#1 BYU-Hawaii 5, #7 Francis Marion University 1

Singles competition
1. #3 Elwen Li (BYUH-W) vs. Tereza Sykorova (FMU) 5-7, 3-2, unfinished
2. #4 Yuan Jia (BYUH-W) vs. #24 Kristyna Horakova (FMU) 7-6, 2-1, unfinished
3. #17 Jenny Chin (BYUH-W) vs. #29 Jitka Gavdunova (FMU) 3-6, 2-3, unfinished
4. Wen-Lin Wang (BYUH-W) def. Valeska Ibscher (FMU) 6-3, 2-6, 6-1
5. Sabina Baberadova (FMU) def. Ayako Ikeda (BYUH-W) 6-0, 6-3
6. Shawni Porter (BYUH-W) def. Saskia Ludwig (FMU) 6-3, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. #1 Elwen Li/Yuan Jia (BYUH-W) def. #6 Jitka Gavdunova/Kristyna Horakova (FMU) 8-3
2. #8 Jenny Chin/Wen-Lin Wang (BYUH-W) def. #13 Tereza Sykorova/Sabina Baberadova (FMU) 8-4
3. Ayako Ikeda/Shawni Porter (BYUH-W) def. Valeska Ibscher/Saskia Ludwig (FMU) 8-2

Match Notes:
Francis Marion University 20-5; National ranking #7
BYU-Hawaii 27-0; National ranking #1