Pirates Sweep UNC WIlmington 7-0

Thursday, February 28

Greenville, N.C.

1:30 PM

East Carolina University

University of North Carolina Wilmington

Photo by: Rob Taylor

February 28, 2019 | Women's Tennis

Box Score Box Score

GREENVILLE, N.C. –Starting a seven-match in five days stretch, the ECU women's tennis team beat UNC Wilmington 7-0 on Thursday afternoon at River Birch Tennis Complex.

"I thought we played solid and played hard from top to bottom," said head coach Tom Morris. "It was a good match for us. Wilmington is always a tough match for us. Today the girls came out and played well. It started with doubles and continued with one through six in singles. I was very happy with the effort today."

ECU (7-2) has now won seven straight matches, including the past five at home. That seven-match winning streak is the longest for the Pirates since starting the season 10-0 in 2008.

The Pirates had complete control of the doubles. ECU's top pairing of Alisa Diercksen and Lisa Hofbauer ran their winning streak to five straight and a 10-4 record overall as they beat Sabrina Barisano and Maddy Muller-Hughes 6-1. Celia Ruiz and Minette Van Vreden also got their fifth straight victory when they beat Sarah Horn and Celeste Matute on court two.

In singles, it was again Hofbauer and Diercksen who got off the courts first. Hofbauer blanked Muller-Hughes in the first set and then was never threatened in the second, closing out a 6-0, 6-2 win on court one. Diercksen was right behind her doubles partner, finishing off a 6-0, 6-1 win over Dubois-Rebiere on court three. Those wins were each the seventh straight for Hofbauer and Diercksen.

ECU clinched the match when Nastja Rettich beat Matute 6-1, 6-1 on court six. Ruiz added another point to ECU's tally by topping Rishika Ravindran 6-1, 6-1 on court two. It was the fourth consecutive victory for both Rettich and Ruiz. Van Vreden got her third straight win by beating Martinsen 6-3, 6-4 on court five.

The final match to finish was the tightest of the day. Martina Paladini-Jennings was deadlocked with Barisano on a pair of occasions. First, the pair were tied 6-6 and went to a tiebreaker in the first set. Paladini-Jennings pulled that breaker out 7-2 to take the lead. In the second set, both players found themselves tied 3-3. From there, Paladini-Jennings won three straight games to win the match 7-6 (7-2), 6-3.

ECU will have a quick turnaround as the Pirates take on South Carolina State on Friday morning in Orangeburg, S.C. First serve for that match is slated for 9 a.m.

Singles Results
1. Lisa Hofbauer (ECU) def. Maddy Muller-Hughes (UNCW) 6-0, 6-2
2. Celia Ruiz (ECU) def. Rishika Ravindran (UNCW) 6-1, 6-1
3. Alisa Diercksen (ECU) def. Lea Dubois-Rebiere (UNCW) 6-0, 6-1
4. Martina Paladini-Jennings (ECU) def. Sabrina Barisano (UNCW) 7-6 (7-2), 6-3
5. Minette Van Vreden (ECU) def. Rachel Marthinsen (UNCW) 6-3, 6-4
6. Nastja Rettich (ECU) def. Celeste Matute (UNCW) 6-1, 6-1

Doubles Results
1. Alisa Diercksen/Lisa Hofbauer (ECU) def. Sabrina Barisano/Maddy Muller-Hughes (UNCW) 6-1
2. Minette Van Vreden/Celia Ruiz (ECU) def. Sarah Horn/Celeste Matute (UNCW) 6-3
3. Hsia Ho Chiao/Nastja Rettich (ECU) vs. Lea Dubois-Rebiere/Rachel Marthinsen (UNCW) 5-3, unfinished

Match Notes
UNCW 4-5
ECU 7-2
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (1,3,6,2,5,4)