Feb. 26, 2009

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Los Angeles, Calif - LMU Women's Tennis (1-5, 0-1 WCC) will travel up north this weekend to take on WCC foes San Francisco and Santa Clara. The Lions will first take on the Dons on Saturday and follow up the next day with a match against the Broncos on Sunday at noon.

Last Week Recap

LMU finished the week with their first win of the season. After falling to No. 55 Pepperdine and No. 8 UCLA, the Lions captured their first victory of the season against the Ragin' Cajuns of Louisiana Lafayette. In their first match of the week, LMU hosted cross-town rival Pepperdine last Wednesday at LMU Tennis Center. The No. 55 Waves were too much for the Lions as they fell 5-2. Senior Tina Razloznik and Freshman Elisaveta Pironkova took home the points for the Lions. Both Razloznik and Pironkova won extra set heartbreakers for the LMU. Razloznik defeated the Waves' No. 1 singles player Anamika Bhargava 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 while Pironkova topped Anne-Christine Voicu 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, in the No. 5 spot. The very next day, LMU traveled to Los Angeles Tennis Center to take on the No. 8 team in the country, the UCLA Bruins. The Lions fell to their top-ranked opponent 6-1. Jane Pringle scored LMU's only point and win. Pringle defeated UCLA's No. 3 singles player Carling Seguso, 6-2, 4-6, (10-7). After a two-day break, the Lions were back in action that Sunday at home against the Ragin' Cajuns of Louisiana Lafayette. After losing the doubles point 2-1, LMU came back swinging in the singles round pulling out the close win, 4-3. Estelle LaPorte and Shauna Morgan pulled in LMU's first points of the match. Morgan finished off the Ragin' Cajuns' Marina Ruiz De Gauna 6-2, 6-2 while LaPorte took down Tara Vasovic 6-4, 6-2 in the No. 5 and 6 positions. Once again Tina Razloznik and Elisaveta Pironkova led LMU. Both women once again pulled out extra set victories. Razloznik defeated LU's Julie Mazinova, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 in the No. 1 singles position while Pironkova came from behind in the final set to pull off the victory against Mia Gordon, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6. Morgan and Razloznik also pulled in LMU's only victory in doubles. The duo defeated Louisiana Lafayette's Ruiz De Gauna and Vasovic 8-3 in the No. 3 spot.

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 San Francisco

Currently, USF Women's Tennis is 4-3, 1-1 in the WCC. The Dons have scored victories against California Baptist, Academy of Art, and Santa Clara. In their most recent matches, USF took on Pacific University and UC Davis. The Dons lost to the Tigers 6-1 but defeated the Aggies in a close one, 4-3. On February 17, the Dons traveled to Stockton to take on Pacific at West Lane InShape indoor courts. Pacific started out on top, taking the doubles point 2-1 The duo of Julia Wartenburger and Jessy Mekpoh took home USF's lone doubles victory at the No. 3 position. Mylene Martin took home USF's only point. Martin defeated Pacific's Jolanta Twarowska in the No. 2 spot, 3-6, 7-6 (4). The Dons faired much better against UC Davis. After the original February 5 match was postponed, USF took on the Aggies February 21. USF pulled out the victory over UC Davis 4-3 at Golden Gate Park. The Dons took home the doubles point. The pairs of Jennifer-Lee Heinser and Cecilia Gratian and Mylene Martin and Alana McMahon took home victories for USF. Heinser and Gratian defeated UC Davis' Schuler and Stone 8-4 while Martin and McMahon took home the win against the Aggies' Legaspi and Zamudio 9-7.USF secured the win with three singles victories. Heinser, Martin, and Wartenburger won the points for the Dons. No. 54 Heinser defeated UCD's Randi Schuler in straight sets 6-0, 6-1 in the No. 1 singles position. Martin took the No. 2 spot defeating Desiree Stone in a three set thriller 2-6, 6-3, 7-5. Wartenburger took home the No. 4 position defeating Herzyl Legaspi in another extra set match 3-6, 6-1, 6-0.

About Santa Clara

Santa Clara is currently 3-5 on the season, 0-1 in the WCC. In this past week, the Broncos have gone 2-0 with wins over Northern Arizona and San Jose State. On Valentine's Day, Santa Clara pulled off a close victory against Northern Arizona 4-3 at Degheri Tennis Center. The day did not start how SCU wanted it to. The Broncos lost the doubles point 2-1. Kacie Wagner and Kimmi Cox earned Santa Clara's only doubles victory 8-4. Wagner and Cox earned individual victories as well. Wagner defeated NAU's Edi Suhajada in three sets 4-6,6-2, 7-6 (4) at the no. 2 singles position while Cox took down the Lumberjacks' Aimee Oki 6-2, 6-1 in the No. 6 spot. Stephanie Galainena and Ashley Pane got SCU's other points. In the No. 1 singles position, Galainena defeated NAU's Kim Van Ginkle, 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-2 while Pane took home the victory in the No. 4 spot beating Stacey Pinchbeck 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. SCU defeated local rival San Jose State on February 19. The Broncos defeated the Spartans 6-1 at the Degheri Tennis Center. Santa Clara started out the match strong, capturing the doubles point 3-0. Wagner and Cox continued their 3 game winning streak at the No. 3 singles position. The Broncos also pulled out 5 of the six singles victories, Galainena, Wagner, Pane, Carmen Pham, and Myra Davoudi all contributed singles victories to the win.

Head Coach Jamie Sanchez


Jamie Sanchez is in his 33rd 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.