April 28, 2001

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The 55th-ranked UNLV women's tennis team slipped by unranked Utah 4-3 to salvage a fifth-place finish at the Mountain West Conference championships Saturday.

After being upset in the first round by host Colorado State, the Lady Rebels won their final two matches and ended the season 11-12 overall and 7-3 in the league, which gives the program a combined mark of 12-6 in two seasons of MWC action. The Utes, meanwhile, fell to 7-14 and 4-6.

Playing out of the consolation bracket, UNLV began the day by taking both completed doubles matches to earn one team point. Paulina Janus and Agnieszka Abram won 8-3 at the top spot and Marianne Bakken teamed with Amy Hadziosmanovic at No. 2 for an 8-4 victory.

In singles play, Janus, ranked 68th, continued her hot play by sweeping Carrie Kasteler, 6-1, 6-1. A First Team All-MWC sophomore transfer who hails from Warsaw, Poland, Janus improved to 16-7 on the year, including winning her last six and 10 of her last 11 matches.

Marianne Bakken used two tiebreakers to win her match at No. 3, 7-6, 7-6 over Linn Ronnberg to give UNLV its third point. After Utah rallied to tie the match by winning at courts 2, 5 and 6, senior Britta Gabl came back to clinch the win by downing Heidi Thomas, 4-6, 6-1, 6-0, at the fourth position.

Later in the day, top-seeded BYU won the league title by downing second-seeded San Diego State, 4-3. Also, New Mexico got by CSU 4-1 in the third-place match and Air Force defeated Wyoming for seventh place, 4-0.

UNLV WOMEN'S TENNIS RESULTS
MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS - FIFTH-PLACE MATCH
UNLV 4, UTAH 3
At Edora Tennis Complex, Fort Collins, CO
SINGLES--
1.  Paulina Janus (UNLV) def. Carrie Kasteler (UU)      6-1, 6-12.  Irini Kotoglou (UU) def. Agnieszka Abram (UNLV)   3-6, 6-2, 6-23.  Marianne Bakken (UNLV) def. Linn Ronnberg (UU)        7-6, 7-64.  Britta Gabl (UNLV) def. Heidi Thomas (UU)     4-6, 6-1, 6-05.  Sheri Esrock (UU) def. Urska Radanovic (UNLV)         2-6, 6-4, 6-36.  Frida Kerald (UU) def. Amy Hadziosmanovic (UNLV)   7-5, 1-6, 6-2
DOUBLES--
1.  Janus/Abram (UNLV) def. Thomas/Kerald (UU)      8-32.  Bakken/Hadziosmanovic (UNLV) def. Kotoglou/Kasteler (UU)8-43.  Radanovic/Gabl (UNLV) vs. Ronnberg/Esrock (UU)      DNF
MWC WOMEN'S TENNIS 2001 CHAMPIONSHIPS
FINAL STANDINGS
PL  SCHOOL (TOURNEY RECORD)
1.  BYU (3-0)2.  San Diego State (2-1)3.  New Mexico (2-1)4.  Colorado State (1-2)5.  UNLV (2-1)6.  Utah (1-2)7.  Air Force (1-2)8.  Wyoming (0-3)