Saturday, March 29, 2003

FIU comeback rewards head coach Ronni Bernstein with 100th career win

avina Duronio outlasted Allison Leuszler at No. 5 singles, 5-7, 7-6, 7-6 (7-4), in the deciding match of FIU’s come-from-behind 4-3 women’s tennis victory against SMU Saturday afternoon at University Park.

The win snapped a three-match losing streak for the Golden Panthers who raised their season record to 5-12 and gave head coach Ronni Bernstein her 100th career victory against 58 losses. The Mustangs fell to 13-8 on the year.

Leuszler was serving for match point while clinging to a 5-4 advantage in the third set, but Duronio broke serve to stay alive. Later, with games tied at 6, Leuszler won the first two points of the tie breaker then led 4-2 before Duronio mounted her comeback, winning five straight points to claim the victory.

Duronio won the match point when Leuszler double-faulted the serve.

The Golden Panthers found themselves down for most of the day, losing the doubles points, 2-1. FIU’s Mei Ly and Bruna Discordia beat Kit Carson and Nadia Vaughan at No. 1, 8-4, but SMU won at No. 2, where Jenny Langer and Leuszler beat Desanka Jovanovic and Duronio, and at No. 3, where Svetiana Kouzmenko and Lynsie Jones defeated Christine Suard and Courtney Jonson, by scores of 8-3.

In singles, FIU won the top-two positions. Discordia handled Carson at No. 1, 6-2, 6-2, and Ly beat Langer 7-6 (7-1), 6-1, at No. 2. But the Mustangs regained a 3-2 lead with wins at No. 3-4 singles..

At No. 3, Kouzmenko won for the 16th time in 18 tries this spring with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Jovanovic, and then Vaughan easily handled Suard at No. 4 by the same score.

FIU tied the match, 3-3, at No. 6 when Jonson won her team-leading 10th match of the spring, defeating Halley Rambally, 5-7, 7-6, 7-5, setting up the deciding match between Duronio and Leuszler.

The Golden Panthers conclude the regular season this Monday at home against Middle Tennessee beginning at 2:00 p.m.