Tulsa Women's Tennis Weekly Release #10

May 11, 2001

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Tulsa's Bid For Second-Straight NCAA Tournament Appearance Comes Up Short:
After making the first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history in 2000, TU's attempt at a second straight appearance fell short as the Hurricane was not selected for the 64-team field. Tulsa completed the season with a 14-9 overall record and a national ranking of No. 40. TU began the season ranked No. 24.

TU Falls To WAC Champion TCU in Semifinals:
In a rematch of the 2000 Western Athletic Conference title match, the third-seeded Tulsa women's tennis team dropped a 4-1 decision to second-seeded TCU in the semifinal round of the 2001 WAC Championships at the Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center in Fresno, California.

DeSpain Completes Stellar Career:
TU senior Jennifer DeSpain (Edmond, Okla.), the school's all-time winningest singles player with 92 career victories, completed her senior season second on the team in singles wins with 25, which ranks fifth on the school's single-season win list. She compiled a career singles record of 92-44 and a doubles mark of 76-47. A three-time all-WAC doubles selection and 2001 all-WAC singles second-team performer, DeSpain led the Hurricane to 59 wins in four seasons. She was also a four-time member of the all-WAC Academic team and a 2000 ITA Scholar-Athlete All-American and second-team member of the GTE District VI Academic team.

Five Hurricane Garners All-WAC Honors:
A total of five Tulsa women's tennis players were named to the 2001 WAC Singles and Doubles Teams following a vote by the league's head coaches. Senior Jennifer DeSpain and doubles teammate, junior Jana Sedivec (Montreal, Canada), were tabbed to the all-WAC first team. DeSpain is a three-time member of the all-WAC doubles first team, while Sedivec is a repeat performer to the all-WAC doubles team.

DeSpain was also one of three players to receive second-team all-conference singles honors. Sophomore Aleksandra Durska (Pobiedziska, Poland) and junior Bianca Posada (Morela, Mexico) were also named to the all-WAC second team. DeSpain is a first time performer on the all-WAC singles team, while Durska is a two-time selection. Posada's selection was her first to the all-WAC singles team.

Tulsa's No. 2 doubles combination of Durska and sophomore Marjolein van Dongen (Woerden, Holland) was tabbed to the all-WAC second team in doubles. Both players are first-time selections to the all-WAC doubles teams.

Three Hurricane Receive WAC Weekly/Monthly Honors in 2000-01:
Two Golden Hurricane received WAC Women's Tennis Player of the Week honors in 2001, while a third captured WAC Player of the Month merits during the fall of 2000. Sophomore Aleksandra Durska received the conference's weekly award for the week of Feb. 5-11, while classmate Marjolein van Dongen was named for the week of March 19-25. During the fall, senior Jennifer DeSpain was named the WAC Player of the Month for October 2000.

Durska Completes Sophomore Season In Fifth-Place on School's Career Win List:
Aleksandra Durska captured her 29th singles win of the season against UTEP's Ana Brnas, 6-1, 6-2. Her 29 wins in 2000-2001 ranks third among TU's single-season leaders, while her 57 career wins tied her with former Hurricane Tarryn Martin (1994-98) for fifth-place among TU's all-time winningest singles players.

Tulsa Trio Receives National Rankings:
TU's Aleksandra Durska and the No. 1 doubles team of Jennifer DeSpain and Jana Sedivec each appeared in the national rankings during the 2000-2001 season.

Durska broke into the national singles poll at No. 80 on Feb. 12. She was ranked as high as No. 87 in the WingspanBank.com Collegiate Tennis Rankings.

DeSpain and Sedivec spent a majority of the season among the nation's top-50 doubles teams. The TU duo entered the top-50 at No. 18 on Feb. 14 and was ranked as high as No. 17 on March 12. The latter ranking was the second-highest in school history for a Tulsa doubles team.

Tulsa in the WAC Championships:
The 2001 WAC Championship marked Tulsa's fifth straight conference tournament appearance. Since becoming a member of the WAC five years ago, Tulsa boasts a 7-6 mark in the postseason championship, including a 4-1 record against first round opponents.

TU Began Spring 2001 Campaign With 6-0 Start:
Tulsa began the spring with its best start in school history. The Hurricane sprinted out to a 6-0 start and went undefeated during the first two months of play.

DeSpain Becomes TU's Winningest Singles Player:
Tulsa senior Jennifer DeSpain became the school's all-time winningest singles player with her, 6-1, 6-0, victory over Whitney Wells of San Diego State on Sept. 30, 2000. DeSpain's win was her 74th career singles win. She surpassed former Hurricane two-time All-American Anousjka van Exel's (1997-99) career mark of 73.

Tulsa Duo Captures Central Region Doubles Crown:
Tulsa senior Jennifer DeSpain and junior Jana Sedivec won four straight matches to capture the Central Region's doubles title at the 2000 ITA Central Regional Championships in Omaha, Neb. For the second time in the last three years, the Hurricane owns the doubles championship trophy. In 1998, Tulsa's doubles tandem of Anousjka van Exel and DeSpain swept the field and brought home the title for the first time in school history.

Hurricane Warnings:
With its 6-1 victory over Kansas in the final home match of the regular season, Tulsa concluded the season with a 7-2 record at home. Over the last three seasons, TU has chalked up an impressive 19-4 mark on its home court.

Sophomore Marjolein van Dongen entered the 2000-2001 season with 19 career singles victories. With 19 wins this season, van Dongen doubled her win total. Her season-high 19 singles matches ranked third on the team.

Since Paige McMurray took over the reigns of the Tulsa women's tennis program prior to the 1998-99 season, the Golden Hurricane has won more matches over the last three years than any other three-year period in school history. In three seasons under McMurray, TU is 47-23 (.671).

Jennifer DeSpain and Jana Sedivec were among the top college tennis players in the nation to compete at the Rolex National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships. The event is the third leg of the (ITA) Grand Slam

DeSpain and Sedivec fell to the top-seeded team from Pepperdine, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, in the first round and Stanford's No. 2 team, 6-2, 6-3, in the consolation round. The TU tandem qualified for this year's tournament by virtue of winning the ITA Central Region title in Omaha, Neb., last fall.

2000-01 Player Awards
All-WAC Second Team-Singles
Jennifer DeSpain
Aleksandra Durska
Bianca Posada

All-WAC First Team-Doubles
Jennifer DeSpain
Jana Sedivec

All-WAC Second Team-Doubles
Aleksandra Durska
Marjolein van Dongen

WAC Player of the Month/Week
Jennifer DeSpain- Month of Oct. 2000
Aleksandra Durska- Feb. 14
Marjolein van Dongen- March 28

All-WAC Academic Team
Jennifer DeSpain
Aleksandra Durska
Jana Sedivec
Marjolein van Dongen

TU Student-Athlete of the Week
Jennifer DeSpain- Oct. 3

ITA Central Region Champions
Doubles-
Jennifer DeSpain
Jana Sedivec

Tulsa Women's Tennis Weekly Release #10

Related News

Related Videos