Monday, October 10, 2005

MORAVIAN COLLEGE WOMEN’S TENNIS TO HOST LEBANON VALLEY COLLEGE IN COMMONWEALTH CONFERENCE SEMIFINAL MATCH

BETHLEHEM, PA --- The Moravian College women’s tennis team looks to extend its winning streak to ten straight matches and take its first step towards a Commonwealth Conference Championship as the top-seeded Greyhounds host fourth seeded Lebanon Valley College in a Commonwealth Semifinal on Wednesday, October 12th beginning at 2:30 p.m. at Hoffman Courts. In case of rain, the match will be played at Lehigh University's indoor courts at the Goodman Campus beginning at 3:00 p.m.

Wednesday's other semifinal contest has second seeded and defending Commonwealth Conference Champion Elizabethtown College hosting third seeded Messiah College. The semifinal winners will meet on Saturday, October 15th for the 2005 Commonwealth Championship.

Moravian, which has won seven of the last nine conference championships, is competing in its 12th consecutive playoff appearance, and the squad has played in the championship match the last 11 years as well as posting a 173-16 record since the 1994 season.

Under the direction of head coach Dawn Benner, the Greyhounds have won nine straight matches after falling to Lebanon Valley, 5-4, back on September 13th. Moravian is 13-1 overall this season and was 5-1 during the Commonwealth Conference regular season.

Sophomore Brittany Popaca (Lavallette, NJ/Point Pleasant Beach HS) leads the Greyhounds with a 13-0 singles record this season while senior Katie Cooke (Milford, PA/Delaware Valley HS) has a 12-0 singles mark. Junior Margo Kokolus (Orefield, PA/Parkland HS) is 4-0 and sophomore Jennel Yelito (Tamaqua, PA/Tamaqua HS) has posted a 10-1 singles mark this fall.

Sophomore Rebecca Angstadt (Hamburg, PA/Hamburg HS) is 4-2 in singles action while freshman MaryKate Kelly (Beach Haven, NJ/Southern Regional HS) is 12-2 in singles action. Senior Nicole Gruber (Lebanon, PA/Lebanon HS), this week’s Commonwealth Conference Player of the Week, has a 9-4 singles slate while sophomore Leah Bradshaw (Perkasie, PA/Pennridge HS) has a 2-1 singles mark. Freshman Dyana Swan (Branchburg, NJ/Somerville HS) has posted a 2-5 singles record.

In doubles action, the team of Cooke and freshman Kelly Gerbino (Easton, PA/Easton HS) is 4-0 while Gruber and Bradshaw are 10-4 in doubles action this season. Popaca and Yelito have also combined for a 3-1 doubles slate while the duo of Kelly and Swan is 4-6. Kokolus and junior Courtney Hall (Denver, PA/Cocalico HS) are 7-5 in doubles action.

Lebanon Valley enters the Commonwealth Conference Tournament as the fourth seed after a 7-1 loss to Messiah on Monday dropped the Flying Dutchmen to the fourth spot. Lebanon Valley will enter the postseason with an overall record of 6-3 after a 3-3 Commonwealth Conference regular season.

Sophomore Leslie Sabas leads the Flying Dutchmen in singles action with an 8-4 record while freshman Charissa Nordall is 6-5. Senior Jenny Larson has a 5-4 mark in singles while classmate Amanda Lubold has added a 5-6 singles record. Freshman Kelly Moll has a singles record of 4-5 while junior Angela Esh is 3-4. Rounding out the Flying Dutchmen in singles action is senior Angie Petiak with a 2-0 mark.

In doubles action, Nordall and Petiak have combined for a 4-1 record while Moll and Sabas have posted a 3-2 mark. Larson and freshman Jan White are 4-4 in doubles action this fall while the duos of Lubold and Sabas and Esh and Larson are each 1-0. Moll and Nordall have combined for a 1-2 record while Sabas and Petiak have a 1-1 doubles mark this season.