April 10, 2009

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KENNESAW, Ga. - The Kennesaw State women's tennis team ended its 2008-09 home schedule in high style Thursday, blanking in-state rival Mercer 7-0 for its third-straight Atlantic Sun Conference win and the school's first-ever victory over the Bears.

"I could not be more proud of this team for the way they finished the conference season," said Kennesaw State Head Coach Brandon Padgett on the sweep. "This is the first 7-0 conference win in our D-I history, and it could not have come at a better time."

With the win, the Owls finished the season with their best-ever mark against the conference, 6-3, and guaranteed themselves at least a .500 overall record after moving to 10-9. It is the first time the Owls have reached double-digit wins since the 2002-03 season when they went 13-5 as members of the Peach Belt Conference.

Four-year Owl Mercedes Cobos made the most of Senior Day and her last appearance in front of the home fans, going 2-0 after recording wins in both doubles and singles.

Cobos partnered with Morgan Carney for an 8-3 win at No. 3 doubles before staging a comeback in a nearly four hour long match for the win at No. 2 singles. The Bears Anna Wieslander grabbed the early lead with a 7-6(5) first set win before Cobos charged back to take the last two sets 7-5 and 6-3.

"Mercedes played like a true senior on Senior Day, fighting through a very difficult match," added Padgett on Cobos' performance. "I've never been around a more fun group of women, and Mercedes has been a shining example. The team worked extremely hard to come away with this type of conference finish."

MacKenzie Swindall and Agatha Palider teamed up for a win at No. 2 doubles, giving the Owls a 1-0 lead that they never surrendered. Mercer took the No. 1 match 8-3 when Wieslader and Priscilla Dias outplayed Vera Shkundina and Ayano Tanaka to deny the Black and Gold a perfect match.

The Owls looked sharp in the rest of their singles action, winning four of five matches in straight-sets. Agatha Palider moved her record to 12-4 after defeating Stephanie Cohen 6-1, 6-1 for her third-straight A-Sun win, finishing the conference season 5-1 at No. 5.

MacKenzie Swindall also improved upon an already stellar record, cruising past Dias 6-3, 6-3 for her 11th win of the season at No. 6 singles. Morgan Carney won a second-straight match at No. 4 with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Angelina Herman, while Alena Sergeychik swept Amalia Bugge 6-1, 7-6(4) at No. 3.

The Owls No. 1, Shkundina, won her fourth-straight A-Sun match, coming back from down a set for a 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 decision over Jennifer Lada. The victory marked Shkundina's team-leading 14th win of the season, and moved the 16-year-old freshman's record to 6-2 against the conference at No. 1.

"This team has really come together at the end of the year, and the 6-3 conference record is our best-ever," concluded Padgett. "I'm happy and proud of the entire team's effort today."

Mercer dropped to 4-16 overall and 1-9 versus the A-Sun with the loss. The Owls will wrap up their season this Saturday when they take on North Carolina Central at 1 p.m. in Durham, N.C.

Kennesaw State 7
Mercer 0

Singles Results
#1 Vera Shkundina def. Jennifer Lada 3-6, 6-1, 6-3
#2 Mercedes Cobos def. Anna Wieslander 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-3
#3 Alena Sergeychik def. Amalia Bugge 6-1, 7-6(4)
#4 Morgan Carney def. Angelina Herman 6-1, 6-0
#5 Agatha Palider def. Stephanie Cohen 6-1, 6-1
#6 MacKenzie Swindall def. Pricilla Dias 6-3, 6-3

Doubles Results
#1 Tanaka/Shkundina lost to Wieslander/Dias 8-3
#2 Palider/Swindall def. Bugge/Cohen 8-5
#3 Carney/Cobos def. Lada/Herman 8-3