April 12, 2008

CLEMSON, SC - The 21st-ranked Clemson women's tennis team posted its sixth straight win on Saturday, downing Maryland by a 6-1 margin at the Clemson Indoor Tennis Center.

The winning streak dates back to a 6-1 upset of then-ranked #9 Duke on Mar. 23 and improved the Tigers' overall record to 11-9. Clemson is now 7-3 in conference action, while the Terps remained winless against ACC competition at 0-10 and fell to 3-16 on the year.

The Tigers will conclude the 2008 regular season on Sunday, as they will play host to Boston College at 12:00 pm at the Hoke Sloan Tennis Center.

Clemson won all three doubles matches to claim a 1-0 lead for the 16th time this season. Ina Hadziselimovic and Alexandra Luc partnered at no. 2 to win easily over Karin Lundmark and Maggie MacKeever, 8-1. The Tiger team Laurianne Henry and Carol Salge then clinched the point with an 8-3 defeat of Julia Huschke and Oksana Krutiyenko at the third position.
Estefania Balda and Federica van Adrichem then completed the sweep, defeating Maryland's Michal Amir and Lisa Miller, 8-4, at no. 1.

Salge quickly gave Clemson a 2-0 lead with a 6-1, 6-0 win at the second singles position, defeating Lundmark. Hadziselimovic knocked off MacKeever at no. 3 just minutes later (6-1, 6-1), putting the Tigers on top by three.

Van Adrichem then posted the Clemson's fourth point to clinch the match for the Tigers. She defeated Miller by a 6-3, 6-0 margin at no. 4. Balda finished moments later, recording a straight-set victory over Amir at the top position (6-2, 6-1).

Krutiyenko was the only Maryland player to score on Saturday. She outlasted Luc at no. 5 in a super tie-break after Luc won the first set of the match (1-6, 6-2, 12-10).

Henry then concluded the day's action with an ace to defeat Hushke at the sixth position (6-3, 6-2), blanking the Terp in the final game.

Ani Mijacika, the nation's second-ranked player, did not play on Saturday due to a minor injury.

#21 Clemson 6, Maryland 1
Doubles
1. Balda/Van Adrichem (CU) def. Amir/Miller (MD), 8-4
2. Hadziselimovic/Luc (CU) def. Lundmark/MacKeever (MD), 8-1
3. Henry/Salge (CU) def. Huschke/Krutiyenko (MD), 8-3
Order of Finish - 2, 3, 1

Singles
1. #109 Estefania Balda (CU) def. #121 Michal Amir (MD), 6-2, 6-1
2. #85 Carol Salge (CU) def. Karin Lundmark (MD), 6-1, 6-0
3. Ina Hadziselimovic (CU) def. Maggie MacKeever (MD), 6-1, 6-1
4. *Federica Van Adrichem (CU) def. Lisa Miller (MD), 6-3, 6-0
5. Oksana Krutiyenko (MD) def. Alexandra Luc (CU), 1-6, 6-2, 12-10
6. Laurianne Henry (CU) def. Julia Huschke (MD), 6-3, 6-2
Order of Finish - 2, 3, 4, 1, 5, 6

* - Clinched match
Records: Clemson - 11-9, 7-3 ACC; Maryland - 3-16, 0-10 ACC