Pirates Winning Streak Continues At NC Central

Wednesday, April 3

Durham, NC

11 AM

East Carolina University

North Carolina Central University

Photo by: Rob Taylor

April 03, 2019 | Women's Tennis

Box Score Box Score

DURHAM, N.C. – The ECU women's tennis team continued its historic run by sweeping NC Central 7-0 on Wednesday afternoon.

"I think that we played hard and played well and we continue to play well," said head coach Tom Morris. "It was a hard match to play in some ways as we had to get up early and travel over, so we're tired in some places. But I'm proud of the way we continued to play and responded to some situations. Overall, a good performance from our team."

ECU (19-2) wins its 19th straight match, a streak that includes 12 shutouts. NC Central (7-11) loses for the second straight match, both of which were against non-conference opponents.

ECU's top two doubles duos continued to rampage past their opponents. Celia Ruiz and Minette Van Vreden were the first two to finish their match. The Pirate pair beat Maru Berghaus and Ivana Dragovic 6-1 on court two for their 12th straight win. Lisa Hofbauer and Alisa Diercksen clinched the doubles point for ECU when they topped Frida Cnossen and Hannah Gaines 6-3 on the top court. It was the 13th win in a row for Hofbauer and Diercksen and increased their team-best record to 18-4.

In singles, ECU won the first three matches in quick succession to clinch. Ruiz dropped just three games over her two sets, beating Berghaus 6-1, 6-2 on court two. Hofbauer beat Cnossen 6-4, 6-1 on court one and then moments later, Van Vreden closed out a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Miller.

Although the match was clinched, the Pirates did not slow down. Martina Paladini-Jennings was in a battle in her first set, as she went into a tiebreaker with Hannah Gaines. The rookie Pirate took the tiebreaker 7-3 and never looked back, eventually winning 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 on court three.

The final two matches both were dominated by ECU. Nastja Rettich beat Dragovic 6-1, 6-2 on court six followed by her doubles partner, Hsia Ho Chiao, beating Polina Sakharova 6-3, 6-2 on court five to finish off the shutout.

ECU will be back on the road on Saturday when the Pirates head to Richmond.

Singles Results
1. Lisa Hofbauer (ECU) def. Frida Cnossen (NC Central) 6-4, 6-1
2. Celia Ruiz (ECU) def. Maru Berghaus (NC Central) 6-1, 6-2
3. Martina Paladini-Jennings (ECU) def. Hannah Gaines (NC Central) 7-6 (7-3), 6-1
4. Minette Van Vreden (ECU) def. Sofia Miller (NC Central) 6-3, 6-2
5. Hsia Ho Chiao (ECU) def. Polina Sakharova (NC Central) 6-3, 6-2
6. Nastja Rettich (ECU) def. Ivana Dragovic (NC Central) 6-1, 6-2

Doubles Results
1. Lisa Hofbauer/Alisa Diercksen (ECU) def. Frida Cnossen/Hannah Gaines (NC Central) 6-3
2. Celia Ruiz/Minette Van Vreden (ECU) def. Maru Berghaus/Ivana Dragovic (NC Central) 6-1
3. Nastja Rettich/Hsia Ho Chiao (ECU) vs. Sofia Miller/Emily Pena (NC Central) 5-3, unfinished

Match Notes
ECU 19-2
N.C. Central 7-11
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (2,1,4,3,6,5)