By Steve Kramer
BOCA RATON, Fla. – All eyes will be on Lynn University’s third-ranked women’s team on Wednesday, May 11, as it takes on No. 1 BYU-Hawaii in the Round of 16 of the NCAA Division II National Tournament in Altamonte Springs, Fla. The Fighting Knights enter the National Tournament with a 24-2 overall record while the Seasiders are an unblemished 27-0. Match time is scheduled for 4 pm at Sanlando Park
The contest with BYU-Hawaii is the only matchup in the Round of 16 that features a pair of top-ten teams and one of just three with two teams in the top-20. Lynn and BYU-Hawaii are also two of the most successful women’s tennis programs in Division II history. The Seasiders have won seven NCAA Division II national championships and a 54-5 (.915) record in NCAA Tournament play to lead all squads. LU has six National Championships (3 NCAA Division II) to rank fourth in the nation while its 58-13 (.817) mark in Tournament play ranks third behind BYU-Hawaii and fourth-ranked Armstrong Atlantic. The Fighting Knights are tied with the Pirates with an NCAA-best 13 Final Four appearances.
LU is 2-9 all-time against the Seasiders and dropped a 5-4 decision to BYU-Hawaii in the 2010 National Semifinals. Both of Lynn’s victories against the Seasiders have come in NCAA Tournament play with its last coming in the 2009 National Quarterfinals. The Fighting Knights also defeated BYU-Hawaii in the 2001 National Championship Match.
Lynn is led at up top by First Team All-Sunshine State Conference selections Magdalena Ekert and Eleonora Iannozzi. A native of Gdansk, Poland, Ekert has gone 16-6 from the No. 1 position this year with eight victories coming against nationally-ranked players. Iannozzi has dominated at the second slot, going 21-1 overall and is in the midst of a ten-match winning streak.
Newcomers with the Blue & White this year, Isabell Raich and Ioana Ivan have also been consistent in the middle of the order. Earning honorable mention in singles as a senior, Raich has posted a 15-3 record while Ivan, a second team honoree, is 18-2 from the fourth position.
Rounding out one of the deepest teams in the country at singles, the Fighting Knights will go with Jessica Yanoff (Delray Beach, Fla.) at five and Andrea Berkova at six. A second team singles recipient, Yanoff went 18-1 in her MVP season and Berkova is 16-3.
After going undefeated in doubles during SSC competition, Lynn will utilize Iannozzi/Ivan (18-2) at No. 1, Ekert/Raich (22-2) in the second slot and Yanoff/Berkova (16-1) at No. 3.
BYU-Hawaii is strong up top with their top-three players ranking Nos. 1, 2 and 4th in the nation and are a combined 60-0. Annie Hwang (21-0) heads the NCAA rankings while Yuan Jia (20-0) is second and Elwin Li (19-0) is fourth. Jia lost one match in the fall, which came to Armstrong Atlantic’s Alida Muller-Wehlau in straight sets. The bottom half of the order is no joke either, as Salina Arandra (18-1), Shawni Porter (8-3) and Sasha Ulbrichtova (20-2) have combined for a 46-6 record.
The Seasiders have also dominated in doubles having lost just one match all season. That loss came to Armstrong’s No. 1 duo of Barbara Kritckova and Muller-Wehlau at the USTA / ITA National Small College Championships in October. In dual matches this year, BYU-Hawaii’s tandems have gone 54-0.