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Feb. 16, 2009

Los Angeles, Calif - After two tough losses last week, LMU Women's Tennis looks to rebound with a victory. The Lions will have three opportunities this week as they take on WCC rival Pepperdine, 2008 National Champions UCLA and Louisiana Lafayette. LMU will face Pepperdine on Wednesday for their first home match on the season, then travel to take on the Bruins on Thursday and after a two day break, take on Louisiana Lafayette at LMU Tennis Center on Sunday.

Last Week Recap

The Lions were on the road this past weekend. LMU took on No. 70 Cal Poly on Saturday and UCSB on Sunday. The weekend did not go in the Lions favor as Junior Jasmin Heckel was absent in the line-up. Heckel had to sit out the two matches because of illness. Heckel led LMU in Lions' first loss to San Diego. Her absence was felt as LMU lost to No. 70 Cal Poly on Saturday and UCSB on Sunday. LMU fell to the Mustangs 6-1. Freshman Elisaveta Pironkova led LMU in the loss. The freshman from Bulgaria won the Lions' only point in the match. Pironkova defeated Cal Poly's Steffi Wong 6-1, 6-2. The Lions took on UCSB the next day at Santa Barbara. The Lions fell to the Gauchos 5-2 but won three matches. Once again Pironkova led LMU. She won her second straight singles match for the Lions. Pironkova defeated UCSB's Asagi Onaga, 6-7, 6-4, 6-2 while Jane Pringle added LMU's other point. The junior transfer from the University of Texas defeated UCSB's Jill Damion in the No. 2 singles position, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. LMU also won a doubles match against UCSB. The Pairing of Pringle and Bliss Nixon defeated UCSB's top doubles team of Damion and Michelle Murphy 9-7.

Dedicating the Season to a True Lion

The LMU Women's Tennis team has dedicated its 2008-2009 season to the memory of senior associate athletics director Betty Werner. Werner lost her five-month battle with Cancer this past August after serving as head of internal operations for LMU athletics since 2000. Werner was very instrumental in taking the Lions to another level. Under her supervision, LMU saw its conference titles in women's tennis, women's basketball, men's golf, and first-ever NCAA tournament appearances for men and women's soccer. Tennis gave Betty her start in a long 40 plus year career in athletics. At Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas, TX, the women's tennis coach saw her playing at a boys' basketball practice and suggested she play on the tennis team. She went on to have a successful career, playing No. 1 singles and doubles in the Texas Tennis Circuit and earning the Dallas Tennis Association Sportsmanship Award in 1964. Betty Werner paved the way for women's athletics today and LMU Women's Tennis is proud to dedicate this season to the heart of a true lion.

About LMU

Leading the way for LMU women's tennis is the only senior on the team, Tina Razloznik. Her experience in years, results, and consistency will provide the veteran leadership this young international team needs. The Lions consists of 4 juniors, 2 sophomores and two freshmen from all over the world including Spain, Germany, Australia, South Africa, Bulgaria, and Slovenia. Even the American players are from all different parts of the country including Illinois, Nevada, and right here in LA, Hermosa Beach native, freshman Estelle La Porte. In her 2007-2008 season, Razloznik was one of only three lions to receive all WCC honors for the #10 team in the region. In singles play, the native of Indrija, Slovenia faired an impressive overall record of 21-12, 15-8 in the #3 singles position. After the departure of #1 and #2 singles player, Pavla Mesterova and Tamara Tanner, Razloznik will most likely take over the #1 singles position this year. Tina will not be alone at the top. She will be aided by Audrey Bulkley. So far this fall, the junior from Springfield, Illinois has proved she will be a force to be reckon with in the WCC. Bulkley has improved from her last season's record of 13-20 at the #5 singles position to upsetting top ranked opponents this fall at one of the most competitive tournaments in one of the toughest regions, the Wilson/ITA West Regional Championship in San Diego.

About No. 41 Pepperdine

After their sixth straight WCC Championship, the Waves are currently 3-4 this season. In his 32nd year of coaching, head coach Gualberto Escuerdo leads Pepperdine with wins against Cal State Northridge, Oregon and defeats by Sacramento State, Notre Dame and UCLA. Most recently the Waves took on San Diego State on the road and New Mexico at home. On February 10, Pepperdine fell to SDSU 4-3. The Waves lost the doubles point to the Aztecs 2-1. Pepperdine's Anamika Bhargava and Alex Liles defeated SDSU's Roxanne Ellison and Sierra Ellison, 8-5. The Waves took the No. 3, 4, and 5 singles positions. Jill Braverman beat SDSU's Esther Cadua, 6-3, 6-1 in the No. 3 position while Alex Liles and Andrea Oates defeated the Aztecs Milana Yuzupov and Olivia Coleman, 6-3, 6-4 and 6-2, 6-2 in the No. 4 and 5 spots. On Sunday, Pepperdine took on New Mexico at home. The Waves defeated the Lobos 6-1 in Malibu February 15. Without two of their top players, Pepperdine swept all the doubles matches and five of the six of the singles matches, four of them in straight sets. Jill Braverman, Liles, Anne Christine Voicu, Oates and Zlatka Petrova won the No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, singles matches. Braverman defeated UNM's 6-4, 6-2, Liles beat New Mexico McKenzie White 6-3, 0-6, 10-8 and Voicu captured the "W" defeating the Lobos' Emma Hayman 6-4, 6-4.

About No. 3 UCLA

The Bruins are currently 5-2 on the season. UCLA has defeated Cal State Northridge, Pepperdine, Minnesota, LSU, and Florida. The Bruins suffered their first losses of the season this past weekend. In the ITA National Team Indoor Tournament, UCLA were upset by Georgia 6-1 on Saturday and fell to Georgia Tech 4-3 on Sunday. Junior Yasmin Schnack posted UCLA's only two wins against the Bulldogs. Paired with Andrea Remynse, the Bruins duo defeated UGA's Chelsey Gullickson and Yvette Hyndman 8-6. Schnack also posted UCLA's only point. She defeated Hyndman at the No. 2 singles position 7-6, 3-6, 6-4. The Bruins lost a close one the following day. The Yellow Jackets topped the defending National Champions 4-3. Stephanie Wetmore and Carling Seguso prevented the sweep of doubles for UCLA. Wetmore and Seguso defeated Georgia Tech's Hillary Davis and Sasha Krupina, 8-6. Despite the loss in doubles, the Bruins had a big day in singles. Sophomore Andrea Remynse defeated the defending NCAA singles champion Amanda McDowell in straight sets 7-5, 6-1. Yasmin Schnack and Carling Seguso posted the other two points for the Bruins.

About Louisiana Lafayette

The Ragin' Cajuns are led by Tina Samara in her first season at UL. Samara served as assistant coach at the University of Colorado the past two seasons. Louisiana Lafayette have started the spring season 0-4 losing to Rice, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Troy, and New Orleans. UL lost a heartbreaker to TAMU-CC 4-3 this past Tuesday. It started out well for the Ragin' Cajuns. UL took the doubles points with wins from the pairs of Julie Mazinova and Milou Israel in the No. 1 doubles position and Angela Dangond and Marin Ruiz de Gauna in the No. 2 spot. Israel and Dangond also posted the only wins in singles for the Ragin' Cajuns. Israel defeated TAMU-CC's Nadia Filmalter 6-1, 6-2 in the No. 2 singles position and Dangond beat Nina Ciric 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the No. 3 spot.

Head Coach Jamie Sanchez


Jamie Sanchez is in his 34th season as head coach of the Loyola Marymount women's tennis program. Sanchez, the program's only coach since its inception, began coaching the team in 1976 and has posted a career record of 418-378. In 2002, Sanchez guided the Lions to their first ever WCC Championship with a 4-2 win over Pepperdine. Sanchez and the Lions advanced to the NCAA playoffs as a team for the first time in program history. He was named the WCC Coach of the Year for the second straight year in 2002, and in 2006, he earned his third honor.

Loyola Marymount University Women's Tennis