April 5, 2006
BALTIMORE, MD - On a chilly, windy day in Baltimore, the Johns Hopkins women's tennis team (8-2, 2-2) defeated Gettysburg College (5-4, 1-3) in Centennial Conference play Wednesday afternoon. It was the third straight win for the Blue Jays this season and fifth consecutive over the Bullets.
Hopkins got two crucial points early in the match by winning at first and second doubles. Gettysburg won at third singles to make it a 2-1 match heading into singles play.
Freshman Brittany Matava (Denver, CO/Littleton) and sophomore Tanya Gulnik (Frederick, MD/Governor Thomas Johnson) paired for an 8-5 win over Sara Marian Seibert and Ali Moyer at first doubles. Matava and Gulnik improved to 5-3 overall and 2-1 in conference play. At second singles, freshman Debbie Blass (Bridgeport, NY/Chittenango) and sophomore Stephanie Carr (West Hills, CA/La Reina) paired for an 8-6 win over Katie Ferraro and Brooke Ranson. The duo is 1-0 at second doubles and 1-1 overall. Gettysburg's Rachel Steel and Shelly Gottesfeld combined for an 8-3 win over senior Jill Seidman (Arlington Heights, IL/Buffalo Grove) and junior Priya Puri (Wayzata, MN/The Blake School) at third doubles. It was the duo's first loss of the season, falling to 6-1 overall and 2-1 in conference play.
In singles action, the team's split the matches with Hopkins winning at first, second and fourth to secure the 5-4 win. Matava moved to 7-1 overall and 3-1 in conference play with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Seibert. Gulnik won her match at second singles, beating Moyer 6-1, 6-2 to remain unbeaten at 8-0 overall. Gulnik is 4-0 in conference play. Gettysburg got a point back with Ranson's win over Puri. Puri took the first set 6-2, but Ranson answered with a 6-1 win in the second set, forcing a third. Ranson pulled out the win 6-4 in the third to take the match. Seidman improved to 3-0 at fourth singles with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Ferraro. Gettysburg closed the match with wins at five and six to close the score to 5-4. Steel defeated sophomore Mary Gorski (Birmingham, MI/Shrine Catholic) 7-6, 7-6 at five and Gottesfeld beat sophomore Holly Clare (Skillman, NJ/Montgomery) 6-1, 7-5 at six.
Hopkins returns to action on Saturday, April 8 when Centennial Conference leader Swarthmore visits Baltimore. The match is set to begin at noon.
