May 9, 2009

LOS ANGELES - The 44th-ranked UNLV women's tennis team was ousted by No. 30 Arizona State 4-0 in the first round of the NCAA Championships on the campus of UCLA on Saturday.

The Lady Rebels, who were making their third consecutive trip the national tournament and eighth overall, finished their season with a record of 20-8, reaching the 20-win mark for only the second time since 1991 and first time since 2002.

In a battle of at-large selections at the Los Angeles Tennis Center, the Sun Devils of the Pac-10 Conference jumped out to a 1-0 lead behind their powerful doubles attack, which features two top-50 teams. No. 21 Micaela Hein and Kelcy McKenna won 8-2 over Kristina Nedeltcheva and Katy Williams while No. 49 Nadia and Laila Abdalla prevailed 8-3 at the second spot. UNLV's Nikol Dimitrova and Rumyana Terzieva were leading their match on court three, 6-4, when play was halted.

ASU needed only to split singles to earn the team victory and it didn't take long with a lineup boasting three nationally ranked players. Williams, one of two UNLV seniors, was off first, losing 6-0, 6-4 to No. 102 Hein at the third spot. Dimitrova, also playing her final collegiate match, was closed out by No. 46 Nadia Abdalla 6-1, 6-2 at the second position. Sophomore Anna Maskaljun then fell to Michelle Brycki on court five, 6-4, 6-3, to end things.

Even more frustrating for the Mountain West Conference regular-season champions was that top UNLV player Nedeltcheva, ranked 123rd, was serving just one game away from earning a huge upset over No. 10 McKenna at the top of the lineup when her match was halted at 6-4, 5-3.

"Arizona State is a perennial power in college tennis and did a great job today," said UNLV head coach Kevin Cory. "It was a disappointing way to end the year but the girls did a good job in winning 20 matches, earning a conference championship and receiving an NCAA bid. We have a good, solid foundation coming back next year and I'll think we'll be right back in the hunt for another conference title and trip to the NCAAs."

NCAA Women's Tennis Championships First Roundat Los Angeles Tennis CenterMay 9, 2009#30 ARIZONA STATE 4, #44 UNLV 0
Doubles (ASU wins one team point)1. #21 Hein/McKenna (ASU) def. Nedeltcheva/Williams (UNLV) 8-22. #49 L. Abdala/N. Abdala (ASU) def. Maskaljun/Alisa Razina (UNLV) 8-33. Dimitrova/Terzieva (UNLV) led Ashlee Brown/Simmons (ASU) 6-4 halted  Order of Finish: 2, 1
Singles (ASU wins three team points)1. #123 Kristina Nedeltcheva (UNLV) led #10 Kelcy McKenna (ASU) 6-4, 5-3 halted2. #46 Nadia Abdala (ASU) def. Nikol Dimitrova (UNLV) 6-1, 6-23. #102 Micaela Hein (ASU) def. Katy Williams (UNLV) 6-0, 6-44. Laila Abdala (ASU) led Adrienn Hidvegi (UNLV) 6-3, 3-3 halted5. Michelle Brycki (ASU) def. Anna Maskaljun (UNLV) 6-4, 6-36. Sianna Simmons (ASU) led Rumyana Terzieva (UNLV) 6-3, 1-3 halted*Clinching MatchOrder of Finish: 3, 2, 5*