Issue date: 4/24/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Amanada Wheeler Junior Alexandra Sitnikova went 25-9 in singles play and 21-10 in doubles play this season.

Eastern's tennis dreams of earning an OVC Championship crashed to earth this weekend as the final games of the Colonels' season ended in defeat. For the Lady Colonels, defeat came at the hands of No. 1 seed Samford, which delivered a decisive 4-0 loss to Eastern in the final round of the tournament. For the men's team, it was losing a first round 4-3 heartbreaker to UT-Martin that slammed the final door shut on their season.

Women

This year the Lady Colonels scratched and clawed their way to within reach of OVC gold for the first time in Eastern's tennis history. The team finally found the chance to play on the greatest stage of the season: the final round

But in their way stood No. 1-seeded Samford, and the Bulldogs would end their day by proving exactly how they reached No. 1-shattering Eastern's OVC championship aspirations with a 4-0 onslaught.

Quick work was made of the second-seeded Lady Colonels after Samford took the doubles point, followed by the No. 1, No. 4 and No. 5 singles match points, giving the Bulldogs the victory, 4-0, before all the matches were played.

The Colonels' only victory of the day came in vain, as the Colonels won only one of three doubles matches.

Juniors Svetlana Pimenova and Alexandra Sitnikova won 8-5, but Eastern lost the following doubles matches.

Senior Meredith Giles, junior Jemma Euers,and Sitnikova did not participate after the team score had reached 4-0.

It was the first appearance for the Colonels in the OVC championship game since 1996. The Lady Colonels finished 19-7 on the year.

Men

Third-ranked Eastern took on sixth-ranked UT-Martin in the opening round of the OVC tournament this weekend.

The Colonels started strong in doubles play as Freshman of the Year Alex Das Izquierdo and Senior Lars Gratzki won the first doubles match, 8-3. After the Skyhawks took the second match, Eastern captured the doubles point with a 9-8 win by juniors Vadum Ivanis and Mel Segota.

Izquierdo followed up his doubles success with singles success, winning the first match as each team's No. 1's battled. He made quick work of UT-Martin's Stephan Bruwer, closing in two sets (6-1, 6-2).

The two-point lead Eastern established didn't last long. UT Martin came back with a vengeance winning four straight matches, making Eastern's final win by Ivanis moot, as the Skyhawks had already secured the win.

The Colonels end the season with an overall record of 16-12.

Alex Das Ixquierdo - Freshman of the Year & First-Team All-OVC

Mel Segota - Second-Team All-OVC

Svetlana Pimenova - First-Team All-OVC

Alexandra Sitnikova - First-Team All-OVC

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