Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 24, 1993 TAG: 9302240314
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: CHRIS STEUART
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
HIGH DRAMA IN WOMEN'S TENNIS AT EAST TENN. INDOOR TOURNEY
Radford University's women's tennis team focused its hopes on Allison Beckman's sixth-seed match in the Sixth Annual East Tennessee State University Indoor Women's Tennis Tournament at the Bristol (Tenn.) Racquet Club.That's because the Highlanders were tied with host ETSU 3-3 and Beckman's was the final match of the tournament.
As if that were not enough to build drama, Beckman has just cracked the Radford lineup this semester and this was her first match at sixth seed.
The Highlanders dispensed with Appalachian State 6-1 on Friday and Jefferson State 6-1 Saturday morning.
Saturday evening the Highlanders squared off with ETSU. Radford won the second and third flights in doubles competition to take a 1-0 lead.
Radford lost the first-, third- and fifth-seed singles matches. Second seed Catrin Beacker won her match in two sets. Fourth seed Elise Dondero lost the first set of her match, but won the second in a tie-breaker and breezed through the third.
"We are down on numbers because of some players we lost due to academics, but the seven we have showed a lot of heart," Radford coach Tom Hondras said.
That set the stage for Beckman's heroics. She dropped the first set of her sixth-flight match 4-6 to ETSU's Rachel Ash. But Beckman battled to win a second-set tie-breaker 7-6 and took the third set 6-2.
"She was as nervous as all get out," said Tom Hondras. "After she won the whole team charged onto the court and literally carried her off in victory - at 12:30 a.m.
"That kind of match makes it exciting for people to watch," he said. "But it will make a coach go crazy."
The team drove back to Radford after the match, through sleet and snow.
"We weren't sure we were going to make it back or not," Hondras said. "But after that exciting win it didn't seem like such a long trip."
Radford University men's gymnastics team will host the Northern Atlantic Gymnastics League Championship on Saturday at Peters with preliminaries beginning at noon and individual finals at 7 p.m.
The seven-team meet, the largest Radford will compete in this season, will include: James Madison University, City College of New York, University of Pittsburgh, College of William and Mary, University of Vermont and Cornell State.
The Highlanders finished third among five teams at the Great Lakes Invitational Tournament last weekend. Radford coach Brian Richman said the third-place finish was the best ever for Radford in that meet as the team scored 262 points, breaking its previous meet record of 260.
During the meet the Highlanders also defeated The University of Pittsburgh for the first time ever.
"If we can make a habit out of beating the University of Pittsburgh, I say we can at least come in second" this weekend, Richman said. "And there is a possibility of placing first if we can beat William and Mary."
William and Mary beat Radford by 15 points the first time the teams met this year, but at a home meet two weeks ago Radford lost to the Tribe by fewer than three points.
"If we can close the gap and beat William and Mary this time I see us winning the meet," Richman said. "I think our team has progressed to the point that each of us could have a strong meet and we could still win."
The Highlanders tuned up for this weekend's meet by placing five gymnasts in the finals at the Great Lakes Invitational.
Jerrell Steele was fourth overall and made it to the finals in the floor and parallel bars events. Ari Goldstein, who finished fourth on the parallel bars, joined Steele and David Trites in the event. Trites also was second on the high bar and fifth on the pommel horse. Other finalists were Matt Gatland on rings and Miles Johnson in the vault.
Chris Steuart covers sports for the Roanoke Times & World-News' New River Valley bureau.