Orange Run At BIG EAST Title Begins Thursday
4/18/2007 10:09:15 AM | Tennis
Match Notes
Syracuse Lineups
BIG EAST Championship Website
The Syracuse women's tennis team begins its journey towards a BIG EAST Championship title on Thursday when the sixth-seed Orange (8-8, 4-3 BIG EAST) take on the 11th-seed St. John's Red Storm (7-9, 4-5 BIG EAST) in first round action at noon in Tampa. The Orange won three of the first four BIG EAST titles ever and will try to start a new dynasty in 2007.
With a first round victory, SU advances to play third-seeded Louisville in the second round on Friday at noon. If the Orange loses, they will play in the consolation bracket at 3 p.m. Two-time defending BIG EAST Champion Notre Dame earned the top seed, followed by South Florida, Louisville, and Marquette. All four of those teams receive a frist round bye. West Virginia is seeded fifth, followed by Syracuse, DePaul, Seton Hall, and Connecticut. Cincinnati, St. John's and Rutgers round out the 12-team field.
Syracuse and St. John's met once in the regular season. St. John's eanred a 6-1 victory against a depleted Syracuse team. Senior Ashley Lipton and junior Catherine Zawadzki both missed the match against the Red Storm due to injury and illness. Sophomore Maria Vasilyeva earned a singles win for the Orange at No. 2, 6-0, 6-2.
Junior Olga Votavova has been a consistent force at the top of the SU lineup, racking up all of her team-best 13 singles wins at No. 1 and No. 2. She has won eight-consecutive singles matches. During her streak, Votavova has not lost a set and the Orange is 6-2 overall. Her last loss came to Maria Zivicicova of St. John's, 7-6, 6-7, 4-10.
