May 7, 2001
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Coming Up -
The No. 58-ranked Lions aren't ready to end their season just yet. LMU will be represented at the 2001 NCAA Women's Tennis Championship this year for the first time in school history. The Lions' No. 1 doubles team of Andrea Lord and Angelina Zdorovytska, who are ranked 34th in the nation, will travel to Stone Mountain, Georgia for the NCAA Doubles Championships which will be held May 17-26. The event will be held at the Lincoln Tennis Center and will hosted by Georgia State University.
Just Briefly -
Loyola Marymount made school history by finishing second in the West Coast Conference after the WCC Tennis Championships. The second place finish is the highest ever for the Lions who had finished third the last 13 straight seasons. LMU made its first ever appearance in the championship match after defeating No. 39 San Diego (4-2) for the first time in program history. The Lions eventually fell to No. 19 Pepperdine (1-4) in the championship match.
Lions In The Rankings -
LMU jumped back into the WingspanBank.com Collegiate Tennis Rankings last week after its successful outing at the WCC Championships. The Lions vaulted back in at No. 58 in the nation after debuting at No. 69 last month. The Lions endured a rigorous schedule this season facing 12 nationally ranked teams on the year. The Lions' No. 1 doubles team of Andrea Lord and Angelina Zdorovytska moved up last week in the national doubles rankings. The team, who crashed into the national spotlight earlier in the season with a No. 48 ranking, and were ranked as high as No. 26, moved up to No. 34 in the country. It is LMU's first doubles team ranking in over 10 years.
WCC Championships Review -
The Loyola Marymount University women's tennis team ended its 13-year streak of finishing third in the West Coast Conference by taking second this year at the 2001 WCC Championships in San Diego. It is the Lions first ever second place finish and the highest program history. The Lions finished second behind No. 19 Pepperdine after falling to the Waves 4-1 in the finals. LMU made it to the finals after upsetting No. 39 San Diego, 4-2, in the semifinals and routing Gonzaga 7-0 in Round 1. LMU started out with a dominating win (7-0) over the Gonzaga Bulldogs in Round 1. The Bulldogs were no match for the Lions who took all three doubles spots by an 8-4 score. Singles play was no harder for the Lions who took five of the six spots in straight sets. Against San Diego, the Lions won 2-of-3 in the doubles competition to go up 1-0 entering singles play. The No. 1 doubles duo of Andrea Lord and Angelina Zdorovytska, ranked No. 48 nationally, came up with a huge upset win over USD's team of Heather Polumbus and Krista Manning. Lord and Zdorovytska defeated Polumbus and Manning, who are ranked No. 24 in the nation, 8-1. LMU then quickly took two of the top three singles spots in straight set wins. Lord downed Polumbus at the No. 2 spot (6-3, 6-4) while Zdorovytska handled Paola Arrangoiz at the No. 3 spot (6-1, 6-3). Penka Fileva earned LMU's game winning point at the No. 1 spot. Fileva fell behind to Katarina Valkyova after dropping the first set 1-6. She came back with a vengeance though taking the last two sets convincingly 6-0, 6-2. Milica Cukulic and Holli Freudenberg fell in straight sets at the No. 4 and 5 spots, respectively. The Lions did not need to finish the No. 6 spot as they had already won the match 4-2. It was LMU's first win over San Diego in program history. The win over San Diego advanced LMU to the finals against No. 19 Pepperdine, it was the Lions first ever appearance in the WCC finals match. The Lions fought hard but were over powered by the Waves. Pepperdine swept all three doubles spots to start the match with a 1-0 advantage. The Waves clinched the WCC championship with straight set wins at the No. 1, 3 and 4 singles spots, the No. 5 and 6 singles spots were not necessary. LMU's only point came at the No. 2 singles spot as Lord defeated Pepperdine's Charlotte Vernaz 6-0, 6-3.
Lord/Zdorovytska Advance To NCAA's -
The Lions' doubles team of Andrea Lord and Angelina Zdorovytska were selected to the 2001 NCAA Championship Tournament last week. It is the first time in LMU history that a tennis player has advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The duo of Lord and Zdorovytska have posted a 12-7 record on the year and went 4-2 against ranked opponents. The Lions' No. 1 doubles team defeated USD's team of Krista Manning and Heather Polumbus both times they met. The first came in an 8-6 victory when Manning and Polumbus were ranked No. 39 (2/18/01) and then again, 8-1, when Manning/Polumbus was No. 24 (4/28/01). The team of Lions also put up big wins over San Diego State's then-No. 39 Silvia Tornier and Lindsey Hedberg, 8-6, (2/16/01) and UCLA's then-No. 20 team of Lauren Fisher and Petya Marinova, 8-6, (3/27/01).
LMU Head Coach -
Jamie Sanchez is currently in his 26th season at the helm of the women's tennis program. Sanchez, a 1975 alumni of Loyola Marymount, owns a 346-303 career record with the Lions. He has led the Lions to a top three finish in the West Coast Conference for 13 consecutive years. He brings a wealth of experience and dedication to the LMU tennis program also serving as Head Tennis Professional at the El Segundo Recreation Center. Sanchez is a member of the Loyola Marymount Athletics Hall of Fame and ranks 12th all-time nationally among active coaches with 346 victories.
NCAA Tournament Info -
Regionals for the 2001 NCAA Tennis Championships will be held at campus sites May 11-13. Quarterfinals, semifinals and finals will be May 17-26 at the Lincoln Tennis Center in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Georgia State will serve as host. The team championships will be comprised of 64 teams. Individual championships will consist of 64 singles players and 32 doubles teams. The seedings for the singles and doubles competition will be announced on May 18th at the Lincoln Tennis Center.
