NORFOLK, Va., April 22, 2011 - Second-seeded VCU cruised into the semifinals of the Virginia 529 College Savings Plan Colonial Athletic Association Women's Tennis Championship with a 4-0 victory against seventh-seeded James Madison on Friday at Old Dominion's Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center.
The Rams, ranked 35th in the country by the ITA, improved to 19-4 and advanced to Saturday's semifinals against either No. 3 Georgia State or No. 6 Delaware, while the Dukes ended their season at 12-9 overall.
VCU opened the match with a pair of doubles victories to gain the 1-0 lead.
Kateryna Yergina and Alex Bara, ranked 31st in the nation in doubles, downed junior Kinsey Pate (Matthews, N.C./Butler) and sophomore Michelle Nguyen (Springfield, Va./South County), 8-2 at No. 1 to take control.
Daria Yakavleva and Manuela Pietzuch clinched the doubles point at No. 3 with an 8-3 win over sophomore Megan Douglass (Wilton, Conn./St. Luke's) and freshman Jacqueline Palmucci (Aurora, Colo./Cherokee Trail).
In singles play, the Rams conceded just eight games in their three victories to close out the match.
Yakavleva doubled VCU's lead to 2-0 when she took a 6-2, 6-0 win from Douglass at No. 4, and the advantage stretched to 3-0 after Yergina defeated Pate at No. 1 by a score of 6-1, 6-2.
Olga Terteac gave VCU the match-clinching fourth point with a 6-1, 6-2 victory versus sophomore Katherine Bulling (Loveland, Ohio/Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy) at No. 5.
#35 VCU 4, James Madison 0
Doubles (Order, 1,3)
1. #31 Yergina/Alex Bara (VCU) def. Pate/Nguyen (JMU) 8-2
2. Hjertquist/Ana Bara (VCU) vs. Andriescu/Bulling (JMU) 6-4, unfinished
3. Yakavleva/Pietzuch (VCU) def. Douglass/Palmucci (JMU) 8-3
Singles (Order: 4,1,5)
1. Kateryna Yergina (VCU) def. Kinsey Pate (JMU) 6-1, 6-2
2. Josefin Hjertquist (VCU) vs. Michelle Nguyen (JMU) 6-2, 2-2, unfinished
3. Ana Bara (VCU) vs. Jacqueline Palmucci (JMU) 6-4, 3-0, unfinished
4. Daria Yakavleva (VCU) def. Megan Douglass (JMU) 6-2, 6-0
5. Olga Terteac (VCU) def. Katherine Bulling (JMU) 6-1, 6-2
6. Manuela Pietzuch (VCU) vs. Ruxandra Andriescu (JMU) 6-1, 4-1, unfinished
