March 26, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Los Angeles, Calif -
Briefly
Loyola Marymount Women's Tennis (5-8) will be on the road this weekend. The Lions will travel up north to Moraga, California for three WCC conference match ups. LMU will face St. Mary's on Friday, Gonzaga on Saturday, and finish up the road trip with Portland on Sunday. Match times are 1:30 p.m.
Last Week Recap
The Lions split their home matches last week. LMU hosted Cornell on Thursday and faced the University of Louisville on Saturday. The Lions topped the Big Red 6-1 but fell to the previously ranked Cardinals 4-3.
LMU did not start off strong against Cornell. For the first time in five games, the Lions failed to win the doubles point. Tina Razloznik and Shauna Morgan won LMU's only doubles match against the Big Red. Razloznik and Morgan defeated Cornell's Catherine Duboc and Stephanie Kent 8-5 in the No. 3 doubles position.
The Lions came back in the singles round. LMU won all six singles matches, five of them in straight sets. Razloznik beat Kent 6-2, 6-0 in the No. 1 singles position. Jasmin Heckel topped Natalia Sanchez in the No. 2 spot, 6-2, 6-4. Elisaveta Pironkova defeated Elizabeth Googe 4-6, 7-5, 10-5 at the No. 3 spot. Jane Pringle won her No. 4 match 6-1, 6-4 against Shayna Miller. Morgan took home a win from Duboc 6-4, 6-2 at No. 5 and Estelle LaPorte took down Leah Seyburn 6-2, 6-1 in the No. 6 position.
On March 21 against Louisville, LMU ended their three match-winning streak. It started in the doubles round and continued into singles. LMU lost all three doubles matches and the first three singles. LMU made a comeback late in the round but it wasn't enough. Razloznik, Heckel, and Pironkova won the points for LMU. Razloznik defeated U of L's Lindsey Jones 6-2, 7-6 for her seventh win of the year in the No. 1 position. Heckel also won her match in straight sets. Heckel defeated Bianca Gorbea 7-6, 7-5 for her fifth victory this season. Pironkova continued her dominance in singles. The freshman from Bulgaria beat Jo Ann Van Aerde 7-5, 7-5 for her sixth straight win. Pironkova has the team's best singles record this spring at 10-3.
Dedicating the Season to a True Lion.
The LMU Women's Tennis team has dedicated its 2008-2009 season to the memory of senior associate athletics director Betty Werner. Werner lost her five-month battle with Cancer this past August after serving as head of internal operations for LMU athletics since 2000.
Werner was very instrumental in taking the Lions to another level. Under her supervision, LMU saw its conference titles in women's tennis, women's basketball, men's golf, and first-ever NCAA tournament appearances for men and women's soccer.
Tennis gave Betty her start in a long 40 plus year career in athletics. At Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas, TX, the women's tennis coach saw her playing at a boys' basketball practice and suggested she play on the tennis team. She went on to have a successful career, playing No. 1 singles and doubles in the Texas Tennis Circuit and earning the Dallas Tennis Association Sportsmanship Award in 1964.
Betty Werner paved the way for women's athletics today and LMU Women's Tennis is proud to dedicate this season to the heart of a true lion.
About LMU
Leading the way for LMU women's tennis is the only senior on the team, Tina Razloznik. Her experience in years, results, and consistency will provide the veteran leadership this young international team needs. The Lions consists of 4 juniors, 2 sophomores and two freshmen from all over the world including Spain, Germany, Australia, South Africa, Bulgaria, and Slovenia. Even the American players are from all different parts of the country including Illinois, Nevada, and right here in LA, Hermosa Beach native, freshman Estelle La Porte.
In her 2007-2008 season, Razloznik was one of only three lions to receive all WCC honors for the #10 team in the region. In singles play, the native of Indrija, Slovenia faired an impressive overall record of 21-12, 15-8 in the #3 singles position. After the departure of #1 and #2 singles player, Pavla Mesterova and Tamara Tanner, Razloznik will most likely take over the #1 singles position this year.
Tina will not be alone at the top. She will be aided by Audrey Bulkley. So far this fall, the junior from Springfield, Illinois has proved she will be a force to be reckon with in the WCC. Bulkley has improved from her last season's record of 13-20 at the #5 singles position to upsetting top ranked opponents this fall at one of the most competitive tournaments in one of the toughest regions, the Wilson/ITA West Regional Championship in San Diego.
About St. Mary's
St. Mary's Women's Tennis team is currently 3-9 on the season and 1-0 in the WCC. The Gaels defeated San Francisco 4-2 on February 8 for their only league win. Against the Dons, the doubles round was canceled due to weather conditions.
Currently SMC is in a four match-losing streak. St. Mary's have lost to No. 71 UNLV, No. 52 Virginia Commonwealth and No. 38 Boise State. The Gaels most recent loss came at the hands of No. 48 Princeton.
St. Mary's hosted Princeton at Korth Tennis Center on Sunday, March 22. Playing in tough conditions, the Gaels fell to the Tigers 5-2. SMC did not start the match on the right note. The Gaels dropped the doubles round 2-1. Claire Soper and Alex Poorta earned SMC's only doubles victory. In the No. 2 doubles position Soper and Poorta easily defeated Princeton's Lauren McHale and Rebecca Parks 8-1.
Soper also got a victory in singles. She battled against Taylor Marable for the victory. Sober won the match 1-6, 6-2,6-4 at the No. 4 spot Marah Calvo got St. Mary's other point. Calvo defeated Ashley Blakley 6-3, 6-3 for the win.
The Gaels next match will be against the Lions on Friday afternoon at 1:30 p.m.
About Gonzaga
Gonzaga's Women's Tennis team is currently 8-5 on the year. This weekend will be the first time the Bulldogs will face any conference opponent. Gonzaga has posted wins against Eastern Washington, Portland State, Lewis-Clark State, Sacred Heart, and San Jose State.
The Bulldogs last match was March 15. It concluded Gonzaga's five-match road trip. The Zags played four matches in a row winning three of the five including their final match against Seattle University.
Gonzaga swept the Redhawks 7-0. The Bulldogs began the match by winning the doubles round. The Zags won all three doubles matches. Aglaya Kokurina and Kristina Zauere led the way, posting their team-best sixth win of the season at number one doubles.
GU won all six singles matches against Seattle, five of them in straight sets. Rika Mehndiratta won the No. 2 singles position to record her seventh win out of her last eight matches. Zauere also won at No. 3 singles to improve her team-best record to 11-2. Madeline Edson-White shut out her opponent in the No. 6 spot. Edson-White beat SU's Megan Reinhartsen 6-0, 6-0.
The Zags next match will be against Portland on Friday.
About Portland
Portland Women's Tennis is currently 5-7 on the year and 0-1 in the WCC. So far this season the Pilots have posted wins over the University of Idaho, Linfield College, Portland State, Cal State Fullerton, and Cal State Bakersfield. The Pilots' only league loss came at the hands of Santa Clara. Portland fell to the Broncos 6-1 on February 28.
Portland is currently in a three match-losing streak. The Pilots have lost to UC Riverside and Furman University. Portland's most recent loss came at the hands of No. 43 Sacramento State.
On Saturday, March 21, the Pilots hosted the No.43 Hornets on Senior Day at Louisiana Pacific Tennis Center. The nationally ranked Hornets were too much for the Pilots as Portland dropped the match 5-1. Portland fell in five of the six singles matches. The Pilots only win came at the hands of Stefanie Doolittle. Doolittle defeated Sacramento State's Karina Jarlkaganova 6-1, 6-2, in the No. 6 singles position. Lacey Pflibsen was the closest to getting another point for the Pilots. Pfilbsen forced Aileen Tsan to extra sets but eventually lost 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 in the No. 2 spot.
The Pilots will face Gonzaga and St. Mary's before taking on the Lions on Sunday.
Head Coach Jamie Sanchez
Jamie Sanchez is in his 33rd season as head coach of the Loyola Marymount women's tennis program. Sanchez, the program's only coach since its inception, began coaching the team in 1976 and has posted a career record of 418-378. In 2002, Sanchez guided the Lions to their first ever WCC Championship with a 4-2 win over Pepperdine. Sanchez and the Lions advanced to the NCAA playoffs as a team for the first time in program history. He was named the WCC Coach of the Year for the second straight year in 2002, and in 2006, he earned his third honor.
