Air Force Tennis Teams Prepare for MWC Championships
4/23/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 23, 2003
The Air Force Academy men's and women's tennis teams are in their final preparations for the 2003 Mountain West Conference Championships, which begin Thursday, April 24. The men's tournament is in Provo, Utah, while the women will play in San Diego, Calif.
The Falcon men (20-5, 2-3 MWC) enter the tournament as the fourth seed in the six-team bracket. They posted their first 20-win season since the 1999 campaign and best finish ever in the MWC regular season. Air Force will play fifth-seeded Utah in the first round on Thursday.
Freshman Shannon Buck leads the way for the Falcons. Buck finished the season with a 23-1 record in dual matches at No. 1 singles, including a perfect 5-0 against MWC opponents. His .958 winning percentage is the best in school history at No. 1 singles.
Senior Eric Pittman and sophomore Tyler McClung lead the Falcon doubles teams with a 20-3 dual match record at No. 1 singles and a 4-1 mark against conference foes.
Air Force's women's team finished the regular season with a 15-11 overall record and a 2-5 record in the MWC, good for sixth place. The Falcons will face third-seeded New Mexico in the first round on Thursday.
Junior Laura Nigro leads the team at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles. She was 12-10 in dual matches this season in singles, including a 3-4 mark in the MWC. Junior Gina Black had the team's best singles record at 19-6, and went 11-3 at the No. 5 spot.
Nigro and Black teamed up to go 14-8 in doubles this year. They were 12-7 at No. 1 doubles and won four of their seven matches versus MWC opponents. Senior Heather Shelby and freshman Katherine Bushey went 15-7 at No. 2 doubles.
The brackets for the 2003 Mountain West Conference Tennis Championships follow:
MEN (@Provo, Utah)
Thursday, April 24
Match #1 - #4 Air Force vs. #5 Utah, 10 a.m.
Match #2 - #3 BYU vs. #6 UNLV, 2 p.m.
Friday, April 25
Match #3 - Winner Match #1 vs. #1 San Diego State, 9 a.m.
Match #4 - Winner Match #2 vs. #2 New Mexico, 1 p.m.
Match #5 - Loser Match #1 vs. Loser Match #2, 5 p.m. (Fifth Place Match)
Saturday, April 26
Match #6 - Loser Match #3 vs. Loser Match #4, 10 a.m. (Third Place Match)
Match #7 - Winner Match #3 vs. Winner Match #4, 2 p.m. (Championship Match)
WOMEN (@San Diego, Calif.)
Thursday, April 24
Match #1 - #4 BYU vs. #5 Colorado State, 10 a.m.
Match #2 - #1 UNLV vs. #8 Wyoming, 10 a.m.
Match #3 - #2 San Diego State vs. #7 Utah, 2 p.m.
Match #4 - #3 New Mexico vs. #6 Air Force, 2 p.m.
Friday, April 25
Match #5 - Loser Match #1 vs. Loser Match #2, 10 a.m.
Match #6 - Winner Match #1 vs. Winner Match #2, 10 a.m.
Match #7 - Loser Match #3 vs. Loser Match #3, 2 p.m.
Match #8 - Winner Match #3 vs. Winner Match #4, 2 p.m.
Saturday, April 26
Match #9 - Winner Match #5 vs. Winner Match #7, 9 a.m. (Fifth Place Match)
Match #10 - Winner Match #6 vs. Winner Match #8, 2 p.m. (Championship Match)
