Feb. 29, 2004

LAS VEGAS - The host Lady Rebels fought off Washington State 4-1 Sunday to earn third place at the UNLV Women's Tennis Spring Invitational at the Fertitta Tennis Complex.

Enjoying perfect playing conditions, the 37th-ranked Lady Rebels improved to 5-3 overall while getting their first victory over a ranked opponent this season. The No. 63 Cougars fell to 2-5.

UNLV, which is undefeated this year when winning doubles play, began the morning by taking two of three matches for one team point. The No. 3 duo of Cindy Treber and Mery Constanti took the clincher 9-7.

In singles play, WSU stormed back to take the first set on four of six courts. UNLV, however, earned quick victories in the other two matches to make it 3-0. Gyorgyi Zsiros downed Orsolya Sallai at the top spot, 6-4, 6-3, and Anne Claire Ortiz-Luis won 6-0, 6-1 at No. 3. The Cougars then won a three-set match at No. 6 to make it 3-1.

With all matches Sunday ending when a team reached four points, UNLV needed just one player to rally and instead saw all three come back. While Agnieszka Abram was serving to force a third set on No. 2 and Claire Smith was a game way from winning her third set on No. 5, it was Treber who ended things on No. 4 by finishing off Nora Gaal 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.

"We showed our true character today" UNLV head coach Kevin Cory said. "After being down in most of the matches, we fought our way back to a tremendous victory. It was a nice way to end the tournament."

UNLV is next in action when it hosts Montana Friday beginning at 2 p.m.

In the championship match, No. 14 Fresno State squeaked by No. 27 Tulane 4-3 while Boston College downed Kansas 4-1 for fifth place and Oklahoma State defeated Northern Arizona 4-1 to finish seventh.

SUNDAY (ALL MATCHES WHEN A TEAM REACHED FOUR POINTSCHAMPIONSHIP MATCHFresno State 4, Tulane 33RD-PLACE MATCHUNLV 4, Washington State 15TH-PLACE MATCHBoston College 4, Kansas 17TH-PLACE MATCHOklahoma State 4, Northern Arizona 1
SATURDAYFresno State 6, Washington State 1Tulane 7, UNLV 0Boston College 5, Oklahoma State 2Kansas 5, Northern Arizona 2
FRIDAYFresno State 4, Boston College 3Washington State 5, Oklahoma State 2UNLV 6, Kansas 1Tulane 6, Northern Arizona 1
FINAL STANDINGS1. Fresno State (3-0)2. Tulane (2-1)3. UNLV (2-1)4. Washington State (1-2)5. Boston College (2-1)6. Kansas (1-2)7. Oklahoma State (1-2)8. Northern Arizona (0-3)
UNLV WOMEN'S TENNIS SPRING INVITATIONALROUND THREE -- SUNDAY, FEB. 29At Fertitta Tennis Complex, Las Vegas

THIRD-PLACE MATCH(#37) UNLV 4, (#63) WASHINGTON STATE 1DOUBLES: (UNLV EARNS ONE TEAM POINT)1. Abram/Ortiz-Luis (UNLV) def. Sallai/Martinez (WSU) 8-62. Arias/Fodor (WSU) def. Zsiros/Smith (UNLV) 8-13. Treber/Constanti (UNLV) def. Toth/Gaal (WSU) 9-7
SINGLES: (UNLV EARNS THREE TEAM POINTS)1. Gyorgyi Zsiros (UNLV) def. Orsolya Sallai (WSU) 6-4, 6-32. Agnieszka Abram (UNLV) vs. Lorena Arias (WSU) Did Not Finish3. Anne Claire Ortiz-Luis (UNLV) def. Chris Martinez (WSU) 6-0, 6-14. Cindy Treber (UNLV) def. Nora Gaal (WSU) 1-6, 6-3, 6-35. Claire Smith (UNLV) vs. Amy Toth (WSU) Did Not Finish6. Zsofia Fodor (WSU) def. Mery Constanti (UNLV) 6-1, 0-6, 6-1

CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH(#14) FRESNO STATE 4, (#27) TULANE  3DOUBLES: (FS EARNS ONE TEAM POINT)1. Pandzic/Tallo (FS) def. Kockott/Magas (TU) 8-52. M. Ivanov/Kuhn (TU) def. Sainz/Winterhaller (FS) 8-43. Jantz/Jovanovic (FS) def. D. Ivanov/Saaibi (TU) 8-3
SINGLES: (FS EARNS THREE TEAM POINTS)1. Jelena Pandzic (FS) def. Maria Ivanov (TU) 6-3, 6-12. Lucia Tallo (FS) def. Jenny Kuhn (TU) 6-3, 1-6, 6-43. Darya Ivanov (TU) def. Katharina Winterhaller (FS) 6-1, 6-44. Dorottya Magas (TU) def. Vlatka Javanovic (FS) 6-2, 6-15. Lucia Sainz (FS) def. Nancy Kockott (TU) 7-5, 6-26. Ana Saaibi (TU) def. Courtney Jantz (FS) 6-4, 7-5

FIFTH-PLACE MATCHBOSTON COLLEGE 4, KANSAS 1DOUBLES: (KU EARNS ONE TEAM POINT)1. C. Steinbock/Kristen Steinbock (KU) def. Waseem/Hellberg (BC) 8-62. Haylock/Filberth (KU) vs. Ashley/Emily Yeomans (BC) Did Not Finish3. Brown/Skoda (KU) def. Szegedi/Landes (BC) 8-4
SINGLES: (BC EARNS FOUR TEAM POINTS)1. Szilvia Szegedi (BC) def. Emily Haylock (KU) 6-3, 6-12. Nida Waseem (BC) vs. Courtney Steinbock (KU) Did Not Finish3. Ali Ashley (BC) def. Brittany Brown (KU) 6-1, 6-04. Morgan Landes (BC) vs. Christine Skoda (KU) Did Not Finish5. Lindsey Nash (BC) def. Luiza Loureiro (KU) 6-2, 6-16. Emily Hellberg (BC) def. Ashley Filberth (KU) 6-0, 6-0

SEVENTH-PLACE MATCH(#38) OKLAHOMA STATE 4, NORTHERN ARIZONA 1DOUBLES: (OSU EARNS ONE TEAM POINT)1. Willman/McClelland (NAU) def. Kolodynska/Karaskova (OSU) 8-52. Furtmayr/Masnic (OSU) def. Dille/Klokinis (NAU) 8-63. Poskitt/Simmons (OSU) def. Schmandt/Kmiec (NAU) 8-6
SINGLES: (OSU EARNS THREE TEAM POINTS)1. Jean Willman (NAU) def. Katya Kolodynska (OSU) 7-6, 6-02. Jana Karaskova (OSU) vs. Cristina Klokinis (NAU) Did Not Finish3. Ines Furtmayr (OSU) vs. Julie Schmandt (NAU) Did Not Finish4. Zana Masnic (OSU) def. Ashley Dille (NAU) 6-2, 6-05. Lauren Simmons (OSU) def. Karen Kmiec (NAU) 7-5, 6-26. Jennifer Poskitt (OSU) def. Susan McClelland (NAU) 6-2, 6-3