April 25, 2009
Final Stats
OMAHA, NEB. – The UNI Panthers qualified for the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference championship match Saturday after defeating the No. 3 seed Southern Illinois Salukis, 5-2. Impressive play in singles competition propelled the Panthers to the victory as five out of their six head-to-head matches ended in wins.
Doubles play commenced after inclement weather pushed the match back 90 minutes and moved competition indoors to the Hanscom Indoor Tennis Center. Southern Illinois went up 1-0 after winning two of the three doubles matches. Fadzai Mawisire and Ame Blacketer topped UNI’s Sampada Kanade and Diana Mendez at the No. 1 spot, 8-2. The Salukis’ Martina Vianna Ce and Vishakha Sheoran then secured the doubles point with an 8-4 victory over Taynara Moraes and Jessica Kunzelmann. Laia Gonzalez-Garrido and Phoebe Walker were the only UNI pair to earn a win as they shut out Jessica Flannery and Michela Cruise, 8-0.
The Panthers took over in singles play, winning five out of six matches. No. 1 singles all-conference selection Mawisire was the only Saluki to win in singles competition, defeating Walker, 6-3, 6-2. UNI’s Gonzalez-Garrido (No. 2) then earned the Panthers’ first point, topping Sheoran, 6-3, 7-5. Kanade (No. 3) notched the score at 2-2 after defeating SIU’s Blacketer, 6-2, 6-1. After winning the deciding match in yesterday’s quarterfinal contest, Kunzelmann (No. 4) gave UNI its first lead of the evening as she edged Cruise, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5. UNI senior Taynara Moraes (No. 5) then ensured a Panther victory, coming back to defeat SIU’s Flannery, 0-6, 6-4, 6-2. Mendez added point to the score, topping Vianna Ce at the No. 6 spot, 6-3, 6-4.
The Panthers, competing as the No. 7 seed in the tournament, will face Wichita State, the No. 1 seed who defeated Illinois State earlier today, tomorrow. Pending weather conditions, the championship match will take place at 11 a.m. at either the Koch Family Tennis Center or the Hanscom Indoor Tennis Center in Omaha, Neb. The match location will be determined by 9 a.m. on Sunday and will be posted at www.mvc-sports.com.
The match will mark the program’s second appearance at a MVC Championship. The Panthers will have a chance to claim their first-ever MVC title Sunday but must surpass a WSU squad that is undefeated in conference play this season. The Shockers shut out UNI earlier this season, 7-0.
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FINAL RESULTS:
| Singles competition |
| 1. Fadzai Mawisire (SIU) def. Phoebe Walker (UNI) 6-3, 6-2 |
| 2. Laia Gonzalez (UNI) def. Vishakha Sheoran (SIU) 6-3, 7-5 |
| 3. Sampada Kanade (UNI) def. Ame Blacketer (SIU) 6-2, 6-1 |
| 4. Jessica Kunzelmann (UNI) def. Michela Cruise (SIU) 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 |
| 5. Taynara Moraes (UNI) def. Jessica Flannery (SIU) 0-6, 6-4, 6-2 |
| 6. Diana Mendez (UNI) def. Martina Vianna Ce (SIU) 6-3, 6-4 |
| Doubles competition |
| 1. Fadzai Mawisire/Ame Blacketer (SIU) def. Sampada Kanade/Diana Mendez (UNI) 8-2 |
| 2. Laia Gonzalez/Phoebe Walker (UNI) def. Jessica Flannery/Michela Cruise (SIU) 8-0 |
| 3. Martina Vianna Ce/Vishakha Sheoran (SIU) def. Taynara Moraes/Jessica Kunzelmann (UNI) 8-4 |
