Jan. 24, 2007

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina women’s tennis team opened the 2007 season with a 6-1 victory over East Tennessee State on Wednesday at the USC Field House in Columbia, S.C. The Buccaneers dropped to 2-3 on the year with the loss.

It took South Carolina less than 45 minutes to win the doubles point. Christyn Lucas and Natasa Vuckovic crushed Vita Moskaliova and Elena Volobueva by an 8-0 score for the Gamecocks’ first victory on court three. Laura Ganzer and Megan McGavock made short work of Olya Batsula and Tara Byrne, winning 8-3 at two doubles to give Carolina a 1-0 advantage. The Buccaneers scored a win at the top spot with Masha Ilina and Yevgeniya Stupak taking an 8-6 decision from Gira Schofield and Ana Marija Zubori.

ETSU tied the match up at one apiece with Ilina’s 6-4, 6-3 win over Vuckovic at three singles, but within minutes, Zubori put the Gamecocks back on top thanks to a 6-3, 6-3 triumph against Batsula on court three. Ganzer closed out Byrne at No. 4 singles 6-1, 6-4, and Schofield provided the clincher at the top spot 6-2, 6-3 versus Stupak.

Miranda Gutierrez cruised in her match at the fifth slot, downing Moskaliova 6-2, 6-2 to give the Gamecocks’ their fifth point. Lucas concluded the evening by registering a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Volobueva.

“East Tennessee State was a very good team,” USC head coach Arlo Elkins said. “This was a good test for our first match. We’ve only been in school for a week and haven’t had as many practices as I would have liked, but we handled the pressure and played well.”

South Carolina returns to action Tuesday in Greenville, S.C., taking on Furman at 5 p.m.

#38 South Carolina (1-0) def. East Tennessee State (2-3), 6-1

Singles
1. Gira Schofield, USC, def. Yevgeniya Stupak, ETSU, 6-2, 6-3
2. Ana Marija Zubori, USC, def. Olya Batsula, ETSU, 6-3, 6-3
3. Masha Ilina, ETSU, def. Natasa Vuckovic, USC, 6-4, 6-3
4. Laura Ganzer, USC, def. Tara Byrne, ETSU, 6-1, 6-4
5. Christyn Lucas, USC, def. Elena Volobueva, ETSU, 6-3, 7-5
6. Miranda Gutierrez, USC, def. Vita Moskaliova, ETSU, 6-2, 6-2

Order of finish: 3, 2, 4, 1, 6, 5

Doubles
1. Ilina/Stupak, ETSU, def. Schofield/Zubori, USC, 8-6
2. Ganzer/Megan McGavock, USC, def. Batsula/Byrne, ETSU, 8-3
3. Lucas/Vuckovic, USC, def. Moskaliova/Volobueva, ETSU, 8-0

Order of finish: 3, 2, 1