Nog meer tennis...

By Beth Renkoski 04/01/06

Vanguard Paddles Pandas

Costa Mesa, Calif – April showers nor April fools day could put a damper on the Vanguard Lions today. Delaying today’s starting time from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. because of overnight and morning rain did not slow the Lions either, as Vanguard warmed up what proved to be a breezy and sunny, but cool afternoon after the rain left the area. The NAIA third-ranked Lions got the job done again, earning their sixth shutout of the season with a 9-0 non-conference win over University of Alberta.

Selecting to play the singles matches first, the Lions took an early lead with dominating performances from Kristen Eichenmuller and Natalie Kelley, who were the first to defeat their Canadian counterparts. The pair lost only four games combined in their straight set victories at number six and five singles, respectively.

Olivia Amstad cleared her court next with a strong 6-1, 6-0 win at number four and Tiffany Teerawat duplicated that score with a two-set win at number three. Damia Donkervoort also defeated her Panda opponent with a powerful win (6-1, 6-1) in the number two match, and Hana Jurcovicova sealed the singles sweep when she eliminated Shaira Somani, 6-4, 6-2, at #1 singles.

The Lions put the finishing touch on the shutout with 8-3, 8-1, and 8-0 wins from top to bottom in the doubles matches. "We took care of business today," says VU Head Coach Mattias Johansson. "We’re glad we were able to get the match in, but now we are just looking forward to next week’s matches." Vanguard improves to 12-2 overall with the win and will return to conference action on Monday when the Lions host Hope International in a 2:00 p.m. matchup at the Costa Mesa Tennis Center.