MONDAY, MARCH 22, 1999

Yale's tennis team beats up The Beach

By Troy Fresch

On-Line Forty-Niner

Friday was just another day at the beach for Yale's women's tennis team as it kicked sand in the face of Long Beach State, winning 8-1.

Yale won all but two of its singles matches easily.

While The Beach's Dianne Asis and Connie Burrgraf put up a strong fight, in the end it was Yale's smart play and well-constructed points that prevailed.

Using a strong topspin backhand and confident net play, Asis won the first set of her match against Yale's Sara Naison-Phillips, 6-4.

But Naison-Phillips anticipated the crosscourt backhand in the second set and started going for the lob instead of the passing shot when Asis came to the net.

Asis became frustrated with her opponents' change in strategy and lost confidence in her backhand.

She missed a difficult lob in the sixth game and lost the second set, 1-6.

Losing a let court in the first game set the tone of the third set for Asis. Without her backhand as a weapon, she was forced to rely on her serve.

After hitting two double faults in the second game to go down 0-3, Asis lost all confidence in her game.

Phillips kept the ball in play and relied on Asis' unforced errors to win the third, 6-0.

Burrgraf faced a similar struggle against Yale's Jackie Fu.

Burrgraf lost the first set 4-6, but tightened her game in the second and was up 5-2.

The 49er looked poised serving for the set but the Connecticut Yankee stepped up her game and began constructing points.

She drove Burrgraf into the net and finished her off with perfect topspin lobs.

Fu won the next three games and tied it at 5-5.

Burrgraf did force a tiebreak in the second but lost it on her serve with a double fault, 7-5.

The rules of collegiate tennis state that if a team wins all six singles matches, playing the doubles matches are optional.

Both coaches agreed to play the doubles and Yale won 2-1.

The lone Long Beach victory came in No. 1 doubles, when Burggraf and Asis defeated Cynthia Obsitnik and Fu, 8-4.

The Beach, 3-13, will play the Air Force Academy on Friday at 2 p.m. at the 49er Courts.