DENTON (4/12/05) -- Ashley Sammis and Kelli Royer came through in the clutch for the North Texas women’s tennis team (13-9) Tuesday against metroplex-rival UT-Arlington (13-6), winning the final two singles matches to help propel the Mean Green to a 4-3 victory and its first win over the Lady Mavericks in nearly a decade.
North Texas trailed 3-2, but Royer completed her match with a thrilling 7-6(4) victory in the third set to tie the score and leave only Ashley Sammis’ flight-five match still in play. Sammis was able to clinch the win for the Mean Green with a 6-3 third-set victory over Gretel Hach.
North Texas snapped a five-match losing streak against UT-Arlington, which recently clinched the regular-season Southland Conference title with a 10-0 league record. The Mean Green, which was playing its third straight match in a string of four at Goldfield Tennis Center to close out the regular season, improved to 7-4 at home.
North Texas played its third match decided by one point in its last four outings, falling in the previous two. The Mean Green dropped the doubles point in those prior two matches, but won two of the three flights against the Lady Mavs to take an early 1-0 advantage.
Katherine Harris and Krysta Lee won flight one 9-7(6) for their team-high 18th victory of the season. Royer and Sammis paired up to win flight two by an 8-6 score.
North Texas got its other singles victory from freshman Aziza Aba Butain, who defeated Jessica Shepard in straight sets to run her record to 6-2 in spring play. North Texas now has six players within four victories of 20 for the season, including two that need just one win to reach the milestone.
North Texas will close out the regular season Saturday with a 2:30 p.m. match against No. 63 SMU at Goldfield Tennis Center.
RESULTS (April 12, 2005)
North Texas, 4
UTA, 3
DOUBLES:
1. Harris/K. Lee (NT) d. Mesterova/Novakova (UTA), 9-7(6)
2. Royer/Sammis (NT) d. Simri van Rooyen/Hach (UTA), 8-6
3. Peciulionyte/Rozkalne (UTA) d. Holly Lee/Ingrid Stockinger (NT), 8-2
SINGLES:
1. Pavla Mesterova (UTA) d. Krysta Lee (NT), 6-1, 6-1
2. Kelli Royer (NT) d. Daniela Novakova (UTA), 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(4)
3. Monika Peciulionyte (UTA) d. Katherine Harris (NT), 6-1, 6-1
4. Anete Rozklane (UTA) d. Megan Schmulbach (NT), 6-3, 6-4
5. Ashley Sammis (NT) d. Gretel Hach (UTA), 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
6. Aziza Aba Butain (NT) d. Jessica Shepard (NT), 6-4, 6-0
