Lehigh University
No. 5 Holy Cross
Mountain Hawks roll into semis, 7-0 over HC
4/18/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
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WEST POINT, N.Y. – Lehigh advanced to the Patriot League semifinals for the fifth straight year on Friday with a 7-0 blanking of Holy Cross in the opening round of the Patriot League tournament at Army’s Malek Tennis Center. The Mountain Hawks won two of three doubles matches and swept through six singles matches, after the coaches mutually agreed to play out the match to seven points. With the win Lehigh improves to 11-9 and moves into the semifinals where the Mountain Hawks will face top seed Army on Saturday.
In doubles play, Lehigh captured two-out-of-three matches to take the early 1-0 lead. At No. 2 doubles, junior Ariela Cohen and sophomore Stacey Reich teamed to knock off Hailee Lange and Chase Fitzsimmons 8-2. The Mountain Hawks dropped the match at No. 3 doubles, but Lehigh’s top team of juniors Allie Schwartz and Ruthie Furman won 8-5 over Kristen Meahl and Meg Moran to clinch the doubles point for the Brown and White.
Needing three points from singles to clinch the match, the Mountain Hawks won all six singles matches, including four in straight sets. Schwartz and Cohen were dominant at the top two flights, dropping two and three games respectively in winning efforts. Sophomore Julie Arthofer won in straight sets over Ivette Konopka 6-2, 6-4 at third singles, while Reich beat Fitzsimmons 6-4, 6-4 in sixth singles.
Furman and classmate Victoria Vityuk were each pushed to three sets, but Furman prevailed over Lange in a third set ten point tiebreak at fourth singles, while Vityuk bested Kathryn Wilkie 6-1 in the third set at fifth singles.
The Mountain Hawks now move into the semifinals where they will face top seed and three-time defending champion Army on Saturday. First serve is set for 11 a.m. from the
Lehigh 7 Holy Cross 0
Doubles
1. Schwartz/Furman (LU) def. Meahl/Moran (HC) 8-5
2. Cohen/Reich (LU) def. Lange/Fitzsimmons (HC) 8-2
3. Brown/Konopka (HC) def. Arthofer/Murasko-Blank (LU) 8-3
Singles
1. Allie Schwartz (LU) def. Kristen Meahl (HC) 6-2, 6-0
2. Ariela Cohen (LU) def. Meg Moran (HC) 6-0, 6-3
3. Julie Arthofer (LU) def. Ivette Konopka (HC) 6-2, 6-4
4. Ruthie Furman (LU) def. Hailee Lange (HC) 6-7 (5), 6-3, 10-7
5. Victoria Vityuk (LU) def. Kathryn Wilkie (HC) 6-3, 2-6, 6-1
6. Stacey Reich (LU) def. Chase Fitzsimmons (HC) 6-4, 6-4
