Air Force Academy
Utah
#59 Utah Downs Air Force 6-1
4/8/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 8, 2011
The 59th-ranked University of Utah women's tennis team (9-8, 3-0 MWC) defeated Air Force (14-8, 0-4 MWC) by a score of 6-1 Friday at the Eccles Tennis Center. Junior Megumi Voight won the No. 6 singles match while senior Sarah Cassman and sophomore Hannah Dake combined to win the No. 3 doubles match for Air Force.
The Utes took a 1-0 lead with wins at the top two doubles matches. Anastasia Putilina and Paige Miles topped Melissa Cecil and Tahlia Smoke, 8-5, at the No. 1 position, while Sarah Pham and Lucia Kovarcikova secured the point for Utah with an 8-5 win over Christen Monreal and Anastasia Hueffner at the No. 2 spot.
Cassman and Dake saved two match points and pulled out an 8-7 decision at No. 3 over Lexi Provancha and Lauren Keller.
"Hannah and Sarah were in the same situation yesterday (vs. BYU), but played much different in today's tiebreaker," said Air Force head coach Kim Gidley.
In singles play, Provancha downed Hueffner 6-0, 6-0, at the No. 5 spot, while Miles bested Cassman at the No. 4 position, 6-1, 6-2, giving the Utes a 3-0 lead. Putilina, ranked No. 82 in the country, earned the match-clinching point by beating Monreal 6-3, 6-4, at the No. 1 spot.
Pham defeated Smoke 6-2, 6-2, at the No. 3 position and Kovarcikova topped Cecil at the No. 2 spot, 6-4, 6-3. Voight then downed Keller 6-3, 4-6, 10-7, decision at the No. 6 position to post AFA's lone point.
"I was proud of how the team stepped up and competed against the defending conference champions," said Gidley. "We had individual goals for the match that the players accomplished. It was great to see Megumi's fight and hard work pay off. It was definitely a battle."
The Falcons return to action next Saturday, April 16 when they host MWC foe New Mexico beginning at 2 p.m.
#59 Utah 6, Air Force 1
Apr 08, 2011 at Salt Lake City
(Eccles Tennis Center)
Singles
1. #82 Anastasia Putilina (Utah) def. Christen Monreal (Air Force) 6-3, 6-4
2. Lucia Kovarcikova (Utah) def. Melissa Cecil (Air Force) 6-4, 6-3
3. Sarah Pham (Utah) def. Tahlia Smoke (Air Force) 6-2, 6-2
4. Paige Miles (Utah) def. Sarah Cassman (Air Force) 6-1, 6-2
5. Lexi Provancha (Utah) def. Anastasia Hueffner (Air Force) 6-0, 6-0
6. Megumi Voight (Air Force) def. Lauren Keller (Utah) 6-3, 4-6, 10-7
Order of finish: 5, 4, 1, 3, 2, 6
Doubles
1. Putilina / Miles (Utah) def. Cecil / Smoke (Air Force) 8-5
2. Pham / Kovarcikova (Utah) def. Monreal / Hueffner (Air Force) 8-5
3. Hannah Dake / Cassman (Air Force) def. Provancha / Keller (Utah) 8-7
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3
Players Mentioned
