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SMU's Marta Lesniak Wins USTA/ITA National Indoor Collegiate Championship

It was an all-around good weekend for SMU athletics. The SMU football team crushed the Tulane Green Wave on Saturday afternoon, 45-24, and hours later, the SMU volleyball team won a thrilling, five-set match against Southern Mississippi and set a school-record with 132 digs in the process. And then on Sunday, Marta Lesniak, representing SMU women's tennis, completed a stunning run through the USTA/ITA tournament by beating Joanna Mather (Florida) for the USTA/ITA championship title.

Lesniak, who is ranked No. 10 in the country, played and won five matches in four days at the USTA Billie Jean ing National Tennis Center and of those five matches, four were against opponents ranked No. 26 or higher. Two of her victories came against opponents ranked in the top-5 in the country.

For the season, Lesniak is now 17-3. Since her arrival in 2008, Lesniak is 102-18. She is currently third in SMU history for career singles victories and is second in career winning percentages. Here's how she fared at the USTA/ITA National Indoor College Tournament:

1st Round (32) - No. 10 Marta Lesniak (SMU) def. Sabrina Santamaria (USC): 7-6(1), 6-0

2nd Round (16) - No. 10 Marta Lesniak (SMU) def. No. 5 Lauren Embree (Florida): 3-6, 6-1, 6-3

Quarterfinals - No. 10 Marta Lesniak (SMU) def. No. 17 Mallory Burdette (Stanford): 6-3, 6-1

Semifinals - No. 10 Marta Lesniak (SMU) def. No. 4 Denise Dy (Washington): 7-6(2), 1-6, 6-4

Finals - No. 10 Marta Lesniak (SMU) def. No. 26 Joanna Mather (Florida): 7-5, 6-1

Monday, 07 November 2011