April 16, 2009
2009 WCC Championships Women's Tennis Bracket 
Los Angeles, Calif -
Briefly
Loyola Marymount Women's Tennis (8-11) will take continue their season this weekend at the WCC Championships. LMU earned the No. 5 seed in the tournament. For the second year in a row the Lions will open up the tournament against San Francisco. Loyola Marymount will face the No. 4 Dons on Friday at 11:30 a.m.
Last Week Recap
LMU lost their final home match of the season last week against Long Beach State. The Lions fell behind early and dropped the match 6-1. LMU lost all three doubles matches. However, LMU almost won the doubles point in the No. 1 and No. 3 positions. Jane Pringle and Bliss Nixon lost the No. 1 match 8-6 while Tina Razloznik and Shauna Morgan lost the No. 3 match by the same score. LMU only won one match in the singles round. Bliss Nixon won the No. 6 position. It was her fifth straight victory in that spot. Nixon defeated LBSU's Jessica Weeks 6-3, 4-6, 10-8.
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.
Loyola Marymount vs. San Francisco
The Lions and Dons will meet for the second time this season and second time in the opening match of the championships. Last year the No. 6 Dons upset the No. 3 Lions 4-3. During their first meeting this season USF won another close match 4-3. LMU won their first doubles round of the season in this match. The Lions went 2-1 in the doubles round. Jasmin Heckel and Elisaveta brought home a victory in the No. 2 position. Heckel and Elisaveta Prionkova took down USF's Alana McMahon and Mylene Martin 8-6. Tina Razloznik and Shauna Morgan brought home the point in the No. 3 spot. Razloznik and Morgan topped Julia Wartenburger and Jessy Mekoph 8-5. USF made a comeback in singles. Five of the six matches went into extra sets but LMU only came away with two victories. Jasmin Heckel won the No. 2 position while Jane Pringle took the No. 3 spot. Heckel defeated Martin 6-0, 4-6, 6-4 and Pringle defeated Cecila Gratian 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-2. The match ups are a little different this time around. In singles, Tina Razloznik looks to avenge her loss in the No. 1 position to Jennifer-Lee Heisner. Jasmin Heckel looks to repeat her victory against Martin in the No. 2 spot. Elisaveta Pironkova moves up to the No. 3 position along with Wartenburger. Wartenburger defeated Pironkova in the No. 4 spot in the previous match. Jane Pringle moves down to that position. She will face Mekoph. Shauna Morgan will face Gratian in the No. 5 position. Bliss Nixon will be playing the No. 6 singles match. Nixon looks to continue her five match-winning streak at that position against Alana McMahon. Doubles will also be different. The No. 1 spot will be identical to the previous match. Pringle and Nixon will face Heisner and Gratian at that position. Pironkova and Heckel will now take on McMahon and Wartenbruger at the No. 2 spot. Razloznik and Morgan will face off against Sarah Oudomvilay and Martin.
Last Season in the WCC Tournament
LMU placed fifth at the 2008 WCC Tennis Championships. The Lions opened up the tournament as the No. 3 seed. LMU faced No. 6 USF in their opening round match. The Dons upset the Lions 4-3. The Lions went on to win their final two matches. LMU swept both Gonzaga and Santa Clara 4-0 to place fifth overall.
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 1975 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. For the first time in program history, Sanchez and the Lions advanced to the NCAA playoffs as a team, and were represented in the Individual NCAA playoffs with the doubles duo of Andrea Lord and Angelina Zdorovytska. He was named the WCC Coach of the Year for the second straight year in 2002, and in 2006 he earned his third honor.
