UCO Ready For Conference Tourney

4/18/2013 10:17:00 AM

Antonella Rossini

Streaking Central Oklahoma will take on Emporia State in the first round of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Women's Tennis Championship Friday afternoon in Springfield, Mo.

The Bronchos and Hornets meet at 1 p.m. at the Cooper Tennis Complex as one of four opening-round matches in the three-day tournament.

UCO finished third in the regular season league standings at 9-2 -- including an 8-1 home win over ESU -- and is 15-2 on the season, having won six straight matches and 10 of its last 11. The Hornets are 8-6 on the year and is the sixth seed.

“We're very excited to play in our first MIAA tournament and have been preparing for this event the whole year,” seventh-year head coach Natalya Nikitina-Helvey said. “I feel that our team is ready to play their best and we're striving to reach our goal of playing for the championship.

“Our quote for this week is 'the surest way not to fail is to determine to succeed' by Richard Sheridan and that is what we're determined to do – succeed.”

Making up UCO's six-player team this weekend will be seniors Antonella Rossini and Rose Cabato, juniors Petra Pesic and Kristin Richardson, sophomore Alina Gorina and freshman Laura Klingert.

Klingert has a 15-1 record at No. 5 singles, while Gorina is 14-2 at No. 3, Cabato 13-3 at No. 4, Pesic 12-3 at No. 2, Richardson 6-0 at No. 6 and Rossini 9-7 at No. 1.

In doubles play, Rossini and Cabato are 10-7 at No. 1, Gorina and Pesic 14-3 at No. 2 and Klingert and Richardson 1-0 at No. 3.

Other first-round matches Friday have top-seeded Southwest Baptist (17-1) taking on No. 8 Fort Hays State (5-7), second-seeded Northeastern State (19-2) going against No. 7 Washburn (5-15) and No. 4 Northwest Missouri (11-9) facing fifth-seeded Nebraska-Kearney (15-6).

Saturday's semifinals will pit the UCO/ESU-NSU/WU and SBU/FHSU-NWMSU/UNK winners at 1 p.m. The championship finals and third-place match are set for 11 a.m. Sunday, with the tournament champion earning an automatic berth into the NCAA Division II national tournament.

Four teams from the Central Region advance to the national tourney, with the MIAA and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference earning automatic berths along with two at-large entries. UCO is third in the current regional rankings behind SBU and NSU.

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