Oct. 19, 2004

WACO, Texas - Daniela Covello and Zuzana Cerna (pronounced Cherna) claimed Baylor's first doubles regional championship on Tuesday at the Wilson/Intercollegiate Tennis Association Southwest Women's Regional Championships at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station, Texas.

En route to the championship, the unranked Baylor tandem upset the tournament's No. 1, 3 and 9 seeds. Prior to the tournament, Covello, a junior, and Cerna, a sophomore, has not played doubles together. The pair streaked through the tournament with a perfect 6-0 record. The victory earned them an automatic berth into the ITA/ National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships, November 4-7, at the University of Michigan.

The Baylor tandem posted two victories on Tuesday to win the crown. They beat the No. 3 seed, Darya and Maria Ivanov of Tulane, 8-5. Shortly thereafter, they posted an 8-5 win over TCU's Helena Besovic and Karla Mancinas to earn the title.

Prior to the 2004 Southwest Regional Championships Baylor's best finish in doubles came in 2001 and 2003. In 2001, Katja Kovac and Vida Mulec were eliminated in the semifinal round and last season Stephanie Balzert and Daria Potapova lost in the semifinals as well.

Covello and Cerna doubles results:
Round of 64 - defeated Melissa Bere/Lindsay McBride, TCU 8-1
Round of 32 - defeated Erin Hunter/Katja Kovacic, Texas Tech 8-4
Round of 16 - defeated Diana Martin/Kami Miller (Houston) 8-6
Quarterfinals - defeated No. 1 Kendra Strohm/Katie Ruckert (Texas) 8-3
Semifinals - defeated No. 3 Darya Ivanov/Maria Ivanov (Tulane) 8-5
Finals - defeated No. 9 Helena Besovic/Karla Mancinas (TCU) 8-5