Jan. 29, 2006

HAMILTON, Ohio--In a match that was far tighter than what the final margin indicated, Miami University's women's tennis team battled past Horizon League contender Butler University, 7-0, Sunday afternoon at Riverside Racquet Club to improve to 2-1 on the season.

After splitting the first two doubles matches, with Butler prevailing at first doubles and Miami's tandem of Katrina Lomidze (Pompano Beach, FL/Ft. Lauderdale Prep) and Maura Trauernicht (Omaha, NE/Millard North) winning at third doubles, the doubles point came down to a tight affair at second doubles. Miami's Kelly Douple (Dayton, OH/Centerville) and Leda Pesatova (Podlesi, Czech Republic) secured the point by outlasting the Bulldogs' Michelle Hawes and Kaitlin Elliott in a 9-8 victory.

Straight-set victories by Victoria Pulido (Cuernavaca, Mexico) at third singles, Remy Swain (Louisville, KY/duPont Manual) at fifth singles and Trauernicht at sixth singles, clinched the team win for the RedHawks, but the competition was far from over. Pesatova earned a hard-fought 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) defeat of BU's Tayo Bailey at No. 2 singles, while Lomidze needed a 10-2 third-set tiebreaker to down BU's Alaina Griffin at first singles. Douple secured the sweep by rallying from a first set loss at fourth singles to down the Bulldogs' Shaden Dowiatt, 3-6, 6-1, 7-5. The win was the second straight for Miami, which improved to 2-1.

Miami returns to action Saturday when it travels to West Lafayette, Ind., to face Big Ten challenger Purdue University.

MIAMI 7, BUTLER 0
SINGLES
No. 1 - Katrina Lomidze (MIA) def. Alaina Griffin (BU), 6-4, 2-6, 10-2
No. 2 - Leda Pesatova (MIA) def. Tayo Bailey (BU), 6-3, 7-6, 8-6
No. 3 - Victoria Pulido (MIA) def. Michelle Hawes (BU), 6-1, 6-4
No. 4 - Kelly Douple (MIA) def. Shaden Dowiatt (BU), 3-6, 6-1, 7-5
No. 5 - Remy Swain (MIA) def. Kaitlin Elliott (BU), 6-2, 7-5
No. 6 - Maura Trauernicht (MIA) def. Chelsey Casperson (BU), 6-2, 6-1

DOUBLES
No. 1 - Griffin/Bailey (BU) def. Swain/Pulido (MIA), 8-4
No. 2 - Douple/Pesatova (MIA) def. Hawes/Elliott (BU), 9-8 (7-5)
No. 3 - Lomidze/Trauernicht (MIA) def. DeWalt/Casperson (BU), 8-2