April 30, 2004

SAN DIEGO - The 54th-ranked UNLV women's tennis team was eliminated during the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference tournament by BYU for the second straight year as the No. 22 Cougars won 4-0 at the Barnes Tennis Center Friday.

The Lady Rebels, who will miss the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2001, finished their season 16-7 overall and 6-3 MWC opponents. BYU improved to 23-5 and 8-1 and moved on to Saturday's championship match.

Despite UNLV's doubles team of Gyorgyi Zsiros and Claire Smith winning at the second spot, BYU began the morning by taking the other two matches for one team point.

In singles play, BYU used its depth to clinch it. After 37th-ranked Barbara Zahnova swept No. 105 Zsiros 6-3, 6-2 at the top spot, Rebecca Pike won in straight sets over Claire Smith at No. 5, 6-3, 6-4, and Hadley MacFarlane ended it with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Mery Constanti on Court Six. The remaining three matches were then halted.

"BYU played an outstanding match today," UNLV head coach Kevin Cory said. "I give them a lot of credit."

Cory, who has three MWC titles to his credit, said he is already looking forward to next season as he returns all but one player from this year's squad.

"Our team had a solid year with some big wins as we were rebuilding. We are already talking about how we are going to come back next year to contend for another conference championship and get back into the top 25."

UNLV WOMEN'S TENNIS RESULTS2004 MWC CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT -- SEMIFINAL(2) #22 BYU 4, (3) #54 UNLV 0At Barnes Tennis Center, San Diego, CA
DOUBLES: (BYU EARNS ONE TEAM POINT)1. #16 Zahnova/Holden (BYU) def. Abram/Ortiz-Luis (UNLV) 8-22. Zsiros/Smith (UNLV) def. MacFarlane/Jones (BYU) 8-43. Lu Oswald/Boulytcheva (BYU) def. Treber/Constanti (UNLV) 8-1
SINGLES: (BYU EARNS THREE TEAM POINTS)1. #37 Barbara Zahnova (BYU) def. #105 Gyorgyi Zsiros (UNLV) 6-3, 6-22. Sofia Holden (BYU) vs. Agnieszka Abram (UNLV) 6-1, 3-3 Did Not Finish3. Anne Claire Ortiz-Luis (UNLV) vs. Lauren Jones (BYU) 6-3, 4-5 Did Not Finish4. Cindy Treber (UNLV) vs. Olga Boulytcheva (BYU) 5-7, 4-1 Did Not Finish5. Rebecca Pike (BYU) def. Claire Smith (UNLV) 6-3, 6-46. Hadley MacFarlane (BYU) def. Mery Constanti (UNLV) 6-1, 6-1