GOLDEN SUNS OPEN GSC TENNIS TOURNAMENT WITH LOSS TO
FIFTH-RANKED WEST FLORIDA

        MONTGOMERY, Alabama – Arkansas Tech Golden Suns Tennis opened the 2009 Gulf South Conference Tournament here Friday morning by falling 5-0 to fifth-ranked West Florida at Lagoon Park Tennis Center.

Tech, who was making its second consecutive appearance in the GSC Tournament, entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed from the West Division, while West Florida was the No. 2 seed from the East Division.

With the loss, Tech, who is ranked 12th in the most recent NCAA D-II South Region poll, fell to 16-5 on the season and is now 0-3 all-time in the GSC Tournament, while the Lady Argonauts, who were ranked third in the same poll, improve to 17-7 overall.   

UWF, who is the defending GSC runner-up, opened Friday’s match by winning all three doubles matches, including posting an 8-0 win at No. 3. Tech’s No. 1 doubles team of senior Anna Carson (Fort Smith, Ark.) and sophomore Saki Matsuoka (Saitama, Japan) lost 8-3 to UWF’s No. 1 team of Suzana Cavalcante and Paulina Ojeda, who are ranked third nationally in doubles. The loss was only the fifth (20-5 overall record) of the season in doubles for Carson and Matsuoka.

Meanwhile, in singles action, UWF sealed the win with Cavalcante’s 6-2, 6-0 win at No. 1 singles over Carson and Renata Mattos 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 4 over Tech freshman Brittany Turner (Pearcy, Ark.). Cavalcante is ranked fifth nationally in singles play.

          Matsuoka had won the first set (6-4) at No. 2 singles, while sophomore Jessica James (Lead Hill, Ark.) was tied at 4-4 in the first set at No. 6 singles with UWF’s Cammie Gray and senior Kristen Brown (Winona, Texas) was trailing 4-3 in the first set at No. 5 singles when the match was halted after UWF earned the required five points.

          Tech will conclude the tournament with a consolation semifinal match against West Alabama at 2 p.m. UWA, the No. 4 seed from the East Division opened the tournament with a 5-1 loss to Delta State, the West Division champion. West Florida advances the semifinals where they will face Delta State.

         #5 West Florida 5, Arkansas Tech 0

SINGLES

No. 1 – #5 Suzana Cavalcante (UWF) def. Anna Carson (Tech), 6-2, 6-0

No. 2 – Saki Matsuoka (Tech) vs. Yana Bokareva (UWF), 6-4, unfinished

No. 3 – Michelle Yu (Tech) vs. Taylor Brewster, 1-6, 0-2, unfinished

No. 4 – Renata Mattos (UWF) def. Brittany Turner (Tech), 6-1, 6-0

No. 5 – Kristen Brown (Tech) vs. Naomi Higa (UWF), 3-4, unfinished

No. 6 – Jessica James (Tech) vs. Cammie Gray (UWF), 4-4, unfinished

DOUBLES

No. 1 – #3 Cavalcante/Paulina Ojeda (UWF) def. Carson/Matsuoka (Tech), 8-3

No. 2 – Mattos/Caitlyn Barnes (UWF) def. Yu/Turner (Tech), 8-3

No. 3 – Brewster/Bokareva (UWF) def. Brown/James (Tech), 8-0

West Florida Box Score

-- Tech Athletics --