MONROEVILLE, PA -- The Temple women's tennis team defeated Saint Louis, 4-2, to earn fifth place at the 2006 Atlantic 10 Conference Championships Sunday at Club 4 Life. The eighth-seeded Owls win over the seventh-seeded Billikens gave Temple its first winning season since the 1999-00 season (12-11). Temple finished the campaign with a 13-12 record.
"This was a tremendous accomplishment, especially given the amount of injuries the team endured this season," second-year head coach Traci Green said. "Our young players really persevered. I am very proud of them."
The Owls played most of the season without two-time all-conference performer Ana Maslesa. The senior from Split, Croatia returned from her broken arm and capped a fine career with a 6-6, 6-1 win at second singles and teamed with freshman Eva Marsalkova to post an 8-5 victory at third doubles. Maslesa ended her four years at Temple with 61 singles wins.
Junior Yuri Kurashima, who won her team-high 20th singles match Saturday, teamed with sophomore Sharanya Pattabi for an 8-6 win at first doubles to give the Owls the first point of the match. Freshman Felicia Frazier and sophomore Barbara Oria Boer won their fifth and sixth singles matches in straight sets to garner Temple the remaining two points needed for the win.
The 2006 Atlantic 10 All-Conference Team will be announced next week.
Match 23
#8 Temple 4 #7 Saint Louis 2
Doubles
1. Yuri Kurashima/Sharanya Pattabi (TU) def. Katerina Lozanova/Tara Grant (SLU) - 8-6
2. Barbara Oria/Felicia Frazier (TU) vs. Amanda Hellberg/Ana Renola (SLU) - 5-4 (DNF)
3. Ana Maslesa/Eva Marsalkova (TU) def. Caitlin Bokulic/Joe Becker (SLU) - 8-5
Singles
1. Hellberg (SLU) vs. Kurashima (TU) 6-3, 4-3 (DNF)
2. Maslesa (TU) def. Lozanova (SLU) - 6-1, 6-1
3. Renola (SLU) def. Pattabi (TU) - 3-0 (retired)
4. Grant (SLU) def. Marsalkova (TU) - 6-1, 6-1
5. Frazier (TU) def. Becker (SLU) - 6-2, 6-4
6. Oria (TU) def. Bokulic (SLU) - 6-1, 6-1
