April 16, 2000

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Coming down to the last match of the day, the University of Illinois women's tennis team defeated No. 33 Minnesota 4-3 on Sunday afternoon from the Atkins Tennis Center.

Senior Natalia Manasova got the Illini's clinching win by downing Tammy Wang 7-5, 6-4 at No. 5 singles. Illinois, now 10-10 overall and 7-1 in the Big Ten, took two of three doubles and picked up three singles wins at the No. 4-6 positions. Giving Illinois a point advantage early in the match, sophomore Brooke Ferney and sophomore Natascha Loebnitz defeated Sandra Olsen and Nora Sauska 8-4 at No. 1 doubles, and at No. 3, Manasova paired with junior Carla Rosenberg to win 8-2 over Jennifer Howard and Michaela Havelkova.

"We focused on doubles all week, and all three teams played well today," Head coach Sujay Lama said. "It was a huge advantage for us going into singles."

In singles, the bottom half of the lineup delivered once again for the Illini. Winning five out of her last six conference matches, Rosenberg went 6-1, 6-2 over Havelkova at No. 4. Senior Megan Wise made it four consecutive wins by defeating Howard 6-3, 6-2 at No. 6. At No. 1, freshman Eldina Fazlic lost 1-6, 6-1, 6-1 to Olsen and junior Simone Kung fell to Sauska 7-5, 6-4 at No. 2. In 6-4, 6-0, Ferney lost to Kim Simonsen at No. 3.

"We fought really hard today," Manasova said. "We played tough, and we were all having fun."

With only one conference loss, Illinois owns the second-best Big Ten record in school history. The best mark was earned in the 1993 season when the Illini went 11-2 for third place in the Big Ten. Ranked No. 37 in last week's poll, Illinois dropped from 28th, the best national ranking in Lama's tenure.

"No match has been easy for us, and we keep winning these close 4-3 matches," Lama said. "It just speaks volumes for the toughness of this team."

The Illini conclude the regular season next weekend with a pair of home matches. On Saturday, Illinois hosts Wisconsin for Youth Day at Atkins. Sunday's match with Iowa features Fan Appreciation/ Senior Day. Both matches will start at noon.

Atkins Tennis Center - Urbana-Champaign, Illinois

Illinois 4, Minnesota 3
Illinois is listed first

1. Eldina Fazlic lost to Sandra Olsen 1-6, 6-1, 6-1
2. Simone Kung lost to Nora Sauska 7-5, 6-4
3. Brooke Ferney lost to Kim Simonsen 6-4, 6-0
4. Carla Rosenberg d. Michaela Havelkova 6-1, 6-2
5. Natalia Manasova d. Tammy Wang 7-5, 6-4
6. Megan Wise d. Jennifer Howard 6-3, 6-2
 

1. Ferney/Loebnitz d. Olsen/Sauska 8-4
2. Kung/Michelle Webb lost to Wang/Simonsen 8-2
3. Rosenberg/Manasova d. howard/Havelkova 8-2