TicketsMarch 26, 2010
LAS VEGAS- For the second time in as many days, the University of Cincinnati tennis team used strong doubles play to capture an early lead on its way to a 5-2 victory over Idaho State in the Las Vegas Challenge at the Bally's Resort. The win is the Bearcats third in a row and improves their record to 8-9 on the season.
UC dominated in doubles play, sweeping all three matches, with the team of Ksenia Slynko and Elise Woulfe sealing the first point of the match, 8-4.
Freshman Caitlin O'Gara claimed the first victory of singles play, 6-1, 6-2, in the No. 5 singles flight, her third in a row and seventh in the last nine matches, to give the Bearcats an early 2-0 lead.
After Abby Mayo was defeated, 6-2, 6-2 in the No. 6 flight, the Bearcats got a strong two-set victory from Woulfe in the No. 4 flight, 6-0, 6-3, to maintain a 3-1 advantage in the match.
In what would become the first of three three-set thrillers, junior Lindsey Lonergan fell, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 in the No. 3 flight.
With the match at 3-2, the Bearcats turned to Safiyya Ismail to stop the momentum and clinch the victory, and the sophomore delivered in dramatic fashion.
After dropping her first set 4-6, Ismail, playing in the No. 2 flight, recovered to take the next two 6-2, 6-0, notching her third consecutive win and sealing a perfect 2-0 record for the Bearcats in Las Vegas.
Slynko, playing her tenth straight match in the No. 1 flight, dropped her first set, 4-6, but bounced back nicely, taking the next two sets, 6-2, 6-1. The win pushes her record to 9-1 in the No. 1 spot and 13-4 overall.
UC is off for five days before playing host to Dayton, Wednesday, March 31, at 2 p.m. The match will be played on campus at the Trabert-Talbert Tennis Center.
The Bearcats and Flyers met a season ago in Dayton, with the Bearcats winning 7-0.
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