TOP-SEEDED RAMS BLITZ DREXEL 4-0 TO ADVANCE TO CAA SEMIFINALS

NORFOLK, Va. – The top-seeded Virginia Commonwealth University women's tennis team headed to this weekend's Colonial Athletic Association Championship with one goal in mind, and that was to bring home the title.

Step One: Beat ninth-seeded Drexel. Step One: Complete.

The Black & Gold blitzed the Dragons from the get-go and advanced to the CAA Semi-Finals with an easy 4-0 victory.

Senior Laura Burns (Hertford, England) teamed with junior Kateryna Yergina (Kiev, Ukraine) to cruise to an 8-3 win at #2 doubles, while the duo of sophomore Alex Bara (Oradea, Romania) and Olena Leonchuk (Kiev, Ukraine) locked up the doubles points for the Rams with a perfect 8-0 win at #3.

Sophomore Ana Bara (Oradea, Romaina) pushed the lead to 2-0 after jumping all over Zineb Hilali at #1 singles, 6-0, before the Dragons' player was forced to retire.

Leonchuk and freshman Manuela Pietzuch (Hechingen, Germany) followed suit by each cruising to straight set wins at #5 and #6 to quickly send the Black & Gold into the CAA Semi-Finals against the winner of #4 Old Dominion and #5 UNC Wilmington, scheduled for later on Friday.

#1 VCU 4, #9 Drexel 0

Singles
#1 Ana Bara (VCU) d. Zineb Hilali (DU), 6-0, ret.
#2 Josefin Hjertquist (VCU) vs. Gozde Unkaya (DU), 7-5, 1-0 - DNF
#3 Kateryna Yergina (VCU) vs. Sonja Stosic (DU), 6-2, 2-1 - DNF
#4 Alex Bara (VCU) vs. Emma Brook (DU), 6-1, 3-0 - DNF
#5 Olena Leonchuk (VCU) d. Elise Leizerovich (DU), 6-0, 6-1
#6 Manuela Pietzuch (VCU) d. Melissa Bohm (DU), 6-0, 6-0
Singles Order of Finish: 1, 5, 6

Doubles
#1 Hjertquist/Ana Bara (VCU) vs. Hilali/Stosic (DU), 5-4 - DNF
#2 Yergina/Laura Burns (VCU) d. Unkaya/Brook (DU), 8-3
#3 Alex Bara/Leonchuk (VCU) d. Leizerovich/Bohm (DU), 8-0
Doubles Order of Finish: 3, 2