East Carolina University
Cincinnati
ECU Closes Regular Season With 4-0 Setback To Cincinnati
April 11, 2015 | Women's Tennis
STORRS, Conn. - Natalia Abdalla and Hannah Wille's 7-5 win over Dana Gray and Katie Hoch in a No. 3 doubles match clinched the opening point and sparked Cincinnati's 4-0 American Conference neutral site victory over East Carolina Saturday afternoon at the UConn Tennis Courts.
In addition to formally ending the regular season, the setback also marked the second consecutive loss for the Pirates (12-11, 1-5 AAC) heading into the league championship tournament next week. The Bearcats improved to 8-9 overall and 3-3 in American play this spring.
After Maria Gomez and Neena Wanko opened pairs action by dismissing Katya Bure and Ali Miller 6-2 at No. 2, Cincinnati's Lauren Bellinger and Kelly Poggensee-Wei drew even with a 6-3 win over Michelle Castro and Nicole LaDuca to set the stage for Abdalla and Wille's clincher and set the tone for a strong ensuing singles performance.
The Bearcats followed by notching straight-set singles wins at the No. 1, No. 3 and No. 4 positions of the lineup to complete the sweep, the fourth suffered by East Carolina in its last six outings.
LaDuca fell to Poggensee-Wei 6-2, 6-1 at No. 1, Gomez lost to Miller 6-1, 7-6 at No. 3 and Bellinger battled past Sarah Sarjoo 7-6, 6-0 at the No. 4 slot to clinch the victory for Cincinnati.
Castro was on the verge of defeating Bure after a 7-5 first set win and a commanding 5-2 lead in the second set of a No. 2 meeting but play was stopped once the overall outcome of the match was determined. Wanko was also three games away from a victory at No. 6 when play was halted.
East Carolina will make its inaugural appearance in the American Athletic Conference Championship Tournament beginning Wednesday in Tulsa, Okla. Seedings and a full bracket for the event will be announced Monday.
CINCINNATI 4, EAST CAROLINA 0
Singles Play
No. 1 - Kelly Poggensee-Wei (UC) def. Nicole LaDuca (ECU) 6-2, 6-1
No. 2 - Katya Bure (UC) vs. Michelle Castro (ECU) 5-7, 2-5, unfinished
No. 3 - Ali Miller (UC) def. Maria Gomez (ECU) 6-1, 7-6
No. 4 - Lauren Bellinger (UC) def. Sarah Sarjoo (ECU) 7-6, 6-0
No. 5 - Hannah Wille (UC) vs. Katie Hoch (ECU) 6-0, 1-6, 3-1, unfinished
No. 6 - Natalia Abdalla (UC) vs. Neena Wanko (ECU) 6-2, 3-6, 0-3, unfinished
Doubles Play
No. 1 - Bellinger/Poggensee-Wei (UC) def. Castro/LaDuca (ECU) 6-3
No. 2 - Gomez/Wanko (ECU) def. Bure/Miller (UC) 6-2
No. 3 - Abdalla/Wille (UC) def. Dana Gray/ Hoch (ECU) 7-5
Team Records: East Carolina 12-11 (1-5 AAC), Cincinnati 8-9 (3-3 AAC)
Players Mentioned
