April 22, 2008

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Savannah College of Art and Design rallied from three matches down to defeat Embry-Riddle (Fla.) University 5-4 in the championship match of the 2008 NAIA Women's Tennis Tournament Saturday (April 19) afternoon at the Crotty Tennis Complex on the ERAU campus.

The eighth-ranked Bees, who were making their fourth consecutive appearance in the title match, won their second consecutive region title and earned the region's automatic berth to the NAIA National Championship, which will be held May 12-16 in Mobile, Ala. The three-time Florida Sun Conference champions improved to 11-5 while the ninth-ranked Eagles slipped to 12-6.

Embry-Riddle took a 2-1 lead after the doubles as the Eagles won top two doubles matches. Natasa Zoricic and Hana Im downed Irina Pljuszyin and Courtney Collins 8-4 while Natalie Anaya and Lindsey Kurtz topped Romina Mrochen and Stephanie Gula by the same score. The Bees got their win at the third position as Hillary Collins and Erica Cardenas defeated Sara Abraul and Marga Rico Jimenez 8-4.

After the doubles matches, SCAD head coach Chuck Keenan and assistant coach Maria Primatic
rallied the troops.

"We got them together before singles and told them to calm down. We told them to just play tennis and not to worry about all the distractions," said Keenan, who also promised during the pep talk to jump in the pond in front of the ICI Center if SCAD came back to win the match.
 
SCAD found itself down 4-1 after the first two singles matches were completed as Abraul defeated Cardenas 6-0, 6-2 and Zoricic bested Pljuszyin 6-2, 6-3.
 
The Bees' first singles win came at the No. 4 spot where Courtney Collins downed Kurtz 7-5, 6-0 in straight sets. Mrochen got SCAD within one at 4-3 after recording a hard-fought 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 victory over Im at No. 2 singles.
 
SCAD knotted the match at 4 as Hillary Collins, who battled back through back issues in the third set that left her with little feeling in her legs, to claim an emotional 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory over Anaya at the third singles position.

Gula gave the Bees the title when she held off Rico Jimenez 7-6 (7-5) in the first set and won the second 6-3 to clinch the victory at No. 5 singles and made Keenan follow up on his promise.

No. 8 SCAD 5, No. 9 EMBRY-RIDDLE (FLA.) 4

Singles: Natasa Zoricic (E) def. Irina Pljusznyin 6-2, 6-3; Romina Mrochen (S) def. Hana Im 6-2, 2-6, 6-3; Hillary Colins (S) def. Natalie Anaya 6-2, 2-6, 6-4; Courtney Collins (S) def. Lindsey Kurtz 7-5, 6-0; Stephanie Gula (S) def. Marga Rico-Jimenez 7-6 (7-5), 6-3; Sara Abraul (E) def. Erica Cardenas 6-0, 6-2.

Doubles: Zoricic-Im (E) def. Pljusznyin-C. Collins 8-4; Kurtz-Anaya (E) def. Mrochen-Gula 8-4; H. Colins-Cardenas (S) def. Abraul-Rico-Jimenez 8-4.

Records: SCAD 11-5, Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 12-6.