Women Play Sports

National Title Game Preview: Louisville takes on almighty UCONN

2009-04-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

So it's set, we have a Big East showdown in St. Louis for the National Championship.

Louisville has a chance to do something that hasn't been done in 38 games this season, beat UConn.

It will no doubt me tough for Louisville. The teams have faced off twice this season.

In their first match-up on Jan. 26, UConn blew away Louisville, 93-65. Maya Moore's 27 points more than made up the difference in the game for the Huskies.

These two teams would meet up again in the Big East Tournament Finals. For the Cardinals, it wasn't any better than their first performance against the Huskies. UConn won in dominating fashion over Louisville, 75-36.

To say that the Cardinals could make this a game is unfortunately wishful thinking. Not once have the Huskies won a game by less than 10 points. The closest victory for the Huskies this season was when they won by 11 points over Georgia Tech in the first game of the season.

The Cardinals will have to go all out for 40 minutes to try and stop Moore and her Huskies squad. Is it possible? Anything is possible. Will it happen? We'll have to wait and see how things shake out tonight. Enjoy the game!

Photo Credit: Associated Press

Louisville vs. UCONN in the National Title Game

2009-04-06T13:07:00.003-05:00

So the final is set. We have Louisville taking on UCONN.

Louisville held off Oklahoma late to reach the title game, winning 61-59. Angel McCoughtry had a double-double, scoring 18 points and picking up 11 rebounds. As for UCONN, they made light work of Stanford, defeating the Cardinal 84-63.

Renee Montgomery's 26 points helped put the Huskies in the National Title Game. The Huskies have a chance to win their sixth National Championship in their history. This would also be their sixth under head coach Geno Auriemma.

I'll have a preview for Tuesday.

Final Four Preview Numero Dos: UCONN vs. Stanford

2009-04-05T09:12:00.000-05:00

This match might look familiar to you. If it is, then you are correct. The two teams battled it out in last year's national semifinals. Stanford won the game last year 82-73. This time around, UCONN looks to defeat Stanford and uphold their undefeated record.

If UCONN wins out, they will once again finish the season 39-0. The Huskies previously did so in 2002.

As the top seed in the Trenton region, the Huskies won their first round game 105-64 over Vermont. The Huskies would go on to defeat the Florida Gators, 87-59 in the second round.

For the Sweet 16, the Huskies defeated California 77-53. In the Elite Eight, the Huskies defeated Arizona State 83-64 and would advance to the Final Four.

For Stanford, they won all four of their tournament games by an average of 20 points. First, they took care of the University of California-Santa Barbara; then they took care of San Diego State University to advance to the Sweet 16 in the Berkeley region.

For the Sweet 16, the Cardinal defeated Ohio State 84-66. In the Elite Eight, they defeated Iowa State 74-53.

Key players:

Forward Maya Moore is averaging 19.2 points per game for the Huskies. The sophomore's 25 points against Arizona State helped get the Huskies the win in the regional final.

Junior Jayne Appel is vital to the success of Stanford. Appel averages 15.9 points per game and 9.2 rebounds per game. Appel scored 46 points in the Elite Eight game against Iowa State.

Prediction:

Stanford 67 - UCONN 61

Final Four Preview Numero Uno: Louisville vs. Oklahoma

2009-04-05T08:00:00.001-05:00

Ahh yes, the first of our two Final Four previews. It's the No. 1 seeded Oklahoma Sooners taking on No. 3 seeded Louisville Cardinals.

After finishing second in the regular season in the Big East, the Cardinals found themselves in the Raleigh region, with a first round match up against Liberty University. The Cardinals made quick work of the Lady Flames, winning 62-42.

In the second round, they faced the LSU Tigers. All-American Angel McCoughtry's 28 points, including 10-of-11 from the free throw line, helped guide the Cardinals into the Sweet 16, as they defeated the Tigers 62-52.

The Cardinals faced Baylor in the regional semifinals, where once again McCoughtry would shine for Louisville. Her 22 points helped guide the Cardinals to a 56-39 and a showdown with Maryland.

The Cardinals would reach their first Final Four after defeating the Lady Terrapins 77-60. McCoughtry once more would come up big for the Cardinals as she scored 21 points with 13 rebounds.

The Sooners found themselves playing close to home after picking up the top seed in the Oklahoma City region. They made quick work of Prarie View A&M, winning the game 76-47.

In round two, the Sooners defeated Georgia Tech 69-50. The Sooners outscored the Yellow Jackets 40-21 in the second half. Danielle Robinson's 15 points helped get the Sooners into the Sweet 16.

Whitney Hand's 22 points helped put the Sooners into the Elite Eight, defeating Pittsburgh 70-59. They would go on to defeat Purdue 74-68 to get the Sooners into the Final Four.

Key players:

The key player for Louisville is of course McCoughtry. The senior is averaging 23 points and 9 rebounds per game.

For Oklahoma, it comes down to Courtney and Ashley Paris. The duo have combined to score more than 28 points per game. With the motivation of her scholarship wager, Courtney Paris certainly will look to shut down the Cardinals.

Prediction

Oklahoma 61 - Louisville 54

Making the comeback

2009-04-04T20:10:00.002-05:00

It's been a long time in between posts and for that I apologize. I do miss putting this blog together. It was fun initially and I hope it can be something I can keep going for the future. There is a lot of women's sports going on. I hope to have a Final Four preview post up by tomorrow.

Meanwhile, enjoy your Saturday evening and I hope it's not going to snow where you are.

WTA Update: Serena wins US Open

2008-09-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

Serena Williams needed only two sets to win her match against Jelena Jankovic on Sunday night. Williams defeated Jankovic to win her third and her ninth grand slam title.

Williams won the first set 6-4 and the second set 7-5. Williams needed only two hours to win the match.

It's Williams' first grand slam title since the 2007 Australian Open and only her third grand slam title since 2005.

Williams won the match despite picking up 39 unforced errors in the match. The match was so competitive that Williams won only 10 more points than Jankovic.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

WTA Update: Jankovic vs. Williams in US Open Final

2008-09-05T20:15:00.000-05:00

After two weeks of battling it out we are now down to our final two competitors at the US Open. These two will face off against each other on Saturday night. No.-2 ranked Jelena Jankovic will face no.-4 ranked Serena Williams.

Jankovic defeated Elena Dementieva in straight sets to advance to her first ever final at the US Open. Jankovic won the match 6-4 (twice). Jankovic made fewer mistakes in the match and that made the difference. JJ had only one double fault in the match.

Meanwhile, Williams defeated Dinara Safina to reach a US Open final for the fourth time. It's her first US Open final since 2002. Williams won her semifinal match in straight sets, 6-3 and 6-2.

This match will be the seventh encounter for JJ and Williams. The series is currently tied at three. If Williams wins, it's another grand slam title added to her legacy. If Jankovic wins, it's a beginning of a legacy for her.

WNBA Recap: Phoenix defeats Minnesota

2008-09-04T09:00:00.001-05:00

Phoenix Mercury 103 - Minnesota Lynx 96- The Mercury snapped a two-game losing streak. Diana Taurasi scored 32 points for the Mercury in their victory. Time is running out for the Mercury.

They have five games left in the season and if they want to get into the playoffs, the Mercury will have to win out. The Lynx meanwhile fall to 2.5 games out of the fourth and final spot in the Western Conference playoffs.

It won't get easier for the Lynx as their next two games are against Seattle and Sacramento. We'll have a look at the playoff scenarios soon enough. Stay tuned!

WTA Update: One Williams sister remains

2008-09-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

We're now officially down to the final four at the US Open.

Serena Williams needed two tiebreakers to defeat her older sister, Venus in straight sets. Serena won the first set 7-6, winning the tiebreaker 8-6. Serena would also win the second set 7-6, winning the tiebreaker 9-7. The sisters combined to win almost 200 total points. The difference between the two was that Venus had more unforced errors. Venus had 45 unforced errors in the match, while Serena had 28. The match took almost 2 1/2 hours to complete.

Dinara Safina had an easier match than the Williams sisters had. The no.-6 ranked player won her match in straight sets over Flavia Pennetta. The scores were 6-3 and 6-2.

Safina and Williams will now face each other in the semifinals. Jelena Jankovic and Elena Dementieva face off in the other semifinal.

WTA Update: Jankovic and Dementieva advance

2008-09-03T07:00:00.001-05:00

The quarterfinals got underway at the US Open on Tuesday. There was no shocking upsets to worry about on Tuesday.

Jelena Jankovic advanced to the semifinals for the second time ever at the US Open. The no.-2 ranked player in the world defeated Sybille Bammer in straight sets 6-1 and 6-4. Bammer had 40 unforced errors in the match, while JJ had only 14.

Elena Dementieva had an easy quarterfinal match as well. Dementieva defeated Patty Schnyder in straight sets 6-2 and 6-3.

We'll have more quarterfinal action tomorrow.

WTA Update: Down to the final eight at Flushing

2008-09-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

We're now down to our final eight in the 2008 edition of the US Open. The quarterfinals get underway later today.

Here's a look at the quarterfinal match-ups:

Jelena Jankovic vs. Sybille Bammer- Jankovic is making her third straight appearance in the quarterfinals here at Flushing Meadows. The No.-2 ranked player in the tournament reached the semifinals just once in 2006. As for Bammer, she's the no.-29 ranked seed and has made it to the quarterfinals for the first time at the US Open. Bammer defeated Marion Bartoli in the fourth round to advance to this point.

Elena Dementieva vs. Patty Schnyder- Dementieva has reached the quarterfinal at the US Open for a fifth time. The 2008 Olympic gold medalist has fared well at the US Open, reaching the finals in 2004. Dementieva has had an easy road on the way to the quarterfinals, she has not dropped a set. As for Schnyder, this is her second trip to the quarterfinals here at Flushing Meadows. This 29-year-old has yet to reach a final at a grand slam. A win today will certainly improve her chances.

Dinara Safina vs. Flavia Pennetta- It's been a fairy good year for Safina. She made the French Open final this year and is now making her second quarterfinals appearance at the US Open. Safina's toughest match came in the third round, when she needed three sets to defeat Timea Bacsinszky. Pennetta is making her first appearance in the quarterfinals. Could she knock off Safina, anything is certainly possible.

Venus Williams vs. Serena Williams- When these two aren't facing each other at Wimbledon, they face each other in the US Open. The last time these two faced each other was in the Wimbledon final this year. Venus won that match. The last time these two faced each other in the US Open, it was in the fourth round in 2005. Venus won that match again. Venus is 2-1 lifetime against her younger sister, Serena.

WNBA Recap: Shock lose close one to Sky

2008-09-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

The Olympics are over and done with and the stars of the WNBA are back in action. We're now heading towards the homestretch in the playoff run.

Chicago Sky 82 - Detroit Shock 81- A couple of Candice Dupree free throws late made the difference for the Sky. Dupree led the way for the Sky with 24 points. Jia Perkins added 15 points for the Sky. Katie Smith led Detroit with 23 points.

Connecticut Sun 80 - Seattle Storm 76- The Sun have now won six straight games and now hold a two game lead over Detroit. Asjha Jones led the way for the Sun with 20 points. Sue Bird of the Storm led all scorers with 24 points.

WTA Update: Jankovic moves on to quarterfinals

2008-09-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

Jelena Jankovic defeated Carolina Wozniacki in three sets to advance on to the quarterfinals of the US Open. Jankovic struggled early on, losing the first set.

Jankovic would win the next two sets with ease to advance on. Jankovic will now face Sybille Bammer in the quarterfinals. Bammer defeated Marion Bartoli in three sets to advance on.

Elena Dementieva advanced to the quarterfinals as well. She won her match over Na Li in straight sets. Dementieva will now face no.-15 seed Patty Schnyder. Schnyder won her match in three sets over Katarina Srebotnik.

Amalie Mauresmo, the Williams sisters and Dinara Safina are on tap for today's fourth round action.

WTA Update: Davenport, Kuznetsova out of US Open

2008-08-30T07:21:00.000-05:00

Day five of the US Open saw another upset occur.

Svetlana Kuznetsova was ousted in three sets to Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia. Kuznetsova won the second set tiebreaker to keep the match alive, but ultimately lost the third round.

Lindsay Davenport was also ousted when she lost to no.-12 seeded Marion Bartoli of France. Bartoli won the match in straight sets 6-1 and 7-6 (7-3).

I'll keep up the updates going on through the weekend, so stay tuned.

WTA Update: Ivanovic out at US Open

2008-08-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

The biggest upset of the US Open has officially arrived. Top seed Ana Ivanovic was knocked out in the second round of the US Open. The no.-1 player in the world lost to Julie Coin of France.

Coin struck first in the match when she won the first set, 6-3. Being under pressure of losing, Ivanovic won the second set, 6-4. Coin won the deciding set, 6-3.

The loss was a huge blow, but didn't seem to be a surprise. Ivanovic had zero aces for the match, while Coin had five. Ivanovic had eight double faults and 34 unforced errors.

Ivanovic struggled to win her first round match, needing three sets to defeat Vera Dushevina. Ivanovic was also eliminated early from Wimbledon, thus ending her season in the grand slams.

Who knows what upsets we'll see yet! Anything is possible.

Photo Credit: Charles Krupa/Associated Press

WTA Update: Day three results at US Open

2008-08-28T08:00:00.001-05:00

Another day has come and gone at the one and only Flushing Meadows in New York.

No.-2 seed Jelena Jankovic needed three sets to win her second round match on Wednesday. Jankovic defeated Sofia Arviddson by a score of 6-3, 6-7 (7-5) and 7-5. Jankovic had three aces, but nine double faults in the match.

Svetlana Kuznetsova won her second round match on Wednesday, defeating Sorana Cirstea. Kuznetsova won the match 7-6 (7-3) and 6-1.

Elena Dementieva also advanced to the third round after her victory on Wednesday over Pauline Parmentier.

Lindsay Davenport also won her match on Wednesday. Davenport defeated Alisa Kleybanova in straight sets, 7-5 and 6-3, to advance to the third round.

The biggest upset of the day came when no.-8 seeded Vera Zvonareva lost to Tatiana Perebiynis in straight sets. Perebiynis won the match, 6-3 and 6-3.

Keep it tuned for here for a recap of day four, tomorrow!

Photo Credit: USOpen.org

WTA Update: Ivanovic advances

2008-08-27T08:00:00.001-05:00

Day two has now left Flushing Meadows and there was a couple of surprises after the second day.

Ana Ivanovic survived a second set scare to win her first round match on Tuesday. The Serbian defeated Vera Dushevina of Russia. Ivanovic is coming off an injury that forced her to miss the Beijing Olympics, a couple of weeks ago.

The biggest upset of the day happened at the Grandstand courts when no.-11 seed Daniela Hantuchova lost to Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany in straight sets. Groenefeld defeated Hantuchova 6-4 and 6-2.

The Williams sisters had much better success on Tuesday. Both Venus and Serena won their matches in straight sets.

Among the winners Tuesday include Dinara Safina, Nadia Petrova, Bethanie Mattek, Agnes Szavay and Agnieszka Radwanska.

Keep it tuned here for more coverage of the US Open.

WTA Update: Day 1 finished at US Open

2008-08-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

Day 1 of the US Open has come and gone in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. It's the first time many of these athletes have competed since the Olympics in Beijing.

No.-2 seed Jelena Jankovic won in straight sets last night in her first round match. Jankovic defeated American, Coco Vandeweghe, 6-3 and 6-1.

No.-3 seed Svetslana Kuznetsova won her first round match on Monday afternoon. She defeated Shuai Zhang of China in straight sets, 6-4 and 6-2.

Olympic gold medalist Elena Dementieva also won her first round match on Monday when she defeated Akgul Amanmuradova in straight sets, 6-4 and 7-5.

Other winners on Monday include Lindsay Davenport, Caroline Wozniacki, Jie Zheng, Marion Bartoli and Patty Schnyder.

No.-10 seed Anna Chakvetadze of Russia was knocked out of the first round on Monday. The 21-year-old lost to Ekaterina Makarova in three sets. The scores were 1-6, 6-2 and 6-3.

Keep it tuned here for more US Open tennis coverage and make sure to enjoy the coverage for day two.

Olympic Update: Don't settle things with tiebreakers, let's go to OT

2008-08-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

I've had some rough experiences in my life, but I wouldn't trade places with Nastia Liukin on Monday night for all the X-Box 360's in the world.

The US Gymnast and All-Around gold medalist came up short on Monday night in the finals of the Uneven Parallel bars event. Liukin finished the event with a silver medal, her fourth medal of these Olympics.

Liukin lost to gold medalist He Kexin, who had the same score as Liukin.

With tiebreakers in place, it was He getting the gold and Liukin getting the silver.

I don't know much about gymnastics. I admit ignorance on my part. I'm the first to admit that and I probably always will. Maybe it's my American bias, but even I thought the judging is a little messed up.

I understand that they've modified the scoring, but I'm still confused. I feel as though it lacks clarity. I mean come on, the announcers aren't always the brightest, but even the NBC crew had a tough time and needed the score sheets for both women. I wouldn't try and read it, unless you do understand, then please try to explain it to me, preferably in some sort of a diagram.

If there's a tie, then let's call it a tie. Otherwise, we have some sort of an OT showdown. We can do it kind of like a walk-off, minus David Bowie. Something simple! We have the technology people! Let's make use of it!

Granted, things won't be perfect, but we can at least try to put together a scoring system that even an idiot like myself can understand.

Photo Credit: Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/Getty Images

Olympic Update: US women in soccer gold medal final

2008-08-18T10:55:00.000-05:00

The US Women's soccer team find themselves in familiar territory here at the Olympics. The US Team is in the gold medal finals once again after defeating Japan today, 4-2.

Angela Hucles two goals made the difference for the US. Hucles scored her first goal late in the first half to tie up the match at 1-1. Lori Chalupny put the US ahead for good when she scored in the 44th minute. Heather O'Reilly also contributed a goal, but this one came in the 70th minute of the match. Hucles second goal came during the 80th minute, which was more than enough to put away Japan.

The US will be facing Brazil in the finals. Brazil defeated Germany earlier today by a score of 4-1.

The US has a chance to win their third gold medal ever in women's soccer. They've had much success here in the Olympics, only losing one gold medal final. The US has a chance to show their soccer dominance to the rest of the world, once again.

Olympic Update: Torres wins Silver in 50 M

2008-08-17T07:15:00.002-05:00

US swimmer Dara Torres picked up a silver medal on Sunday in the 50 meter freestyle at the Beijing Olympics.

The 41-year-old lost by .01 seconds to Britta Steffen of Germany. Cate Campbell of Australia finished in third place.

Torres has her third medal of these Olympics. Her other two medals are also silver. Torres now has 11 career Olympic medals.

Meanwhile, the US in the women's 4x100 medley relay, which Torres was apart of, won the silver. They lost to the Australians, who in the process broke a world record.

The US team consisted of Torres, Natalie Coughlin, Christine Magnuson and Rebecca Soni. The team lost by less than a second. China picked up the bronze medal.

Finally, in the women's marathon event, Constantina Tomescu Dita won the gold medal. The Romanian defeated Wincatherine Nyambura Ndereba of Kenya by over a minute. Chunxiu Zhou of China picked up the bronze medal. Dita finished the marathon in two hours, 26 minutes and 44 seconds.

Olympics Update: 1-2 US finish in women's all-around gymnastics

2008-08-15T07:00:00.001-05:00

The United States picked up a couple more medals last night (or today, I'm not very sure). US gymnast Nastia Liukin won the gold medal in the women's all-around final. Liukin scored a 63.325, narrowly holding off runner-up Shawn Johnson.

Johnson, the silver medalist for the event, scord a 62.725. She earned her second silver medal of these 2008 Olympics.

Liukin also has a second medal of these Olympics.

Yang Yilin of China picked up the Bronze medal in the event.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Olympic Update: US Women get Silver medal in team event

2008-08-13T07:00:00.001-05:00

The US women's gymnastics team had plenty of opportunities to win the gold medal in the team event, but mistakes from some of their athlete's in last night's event fell short. Therefore, China won the gold medal, the US won the Silver and Romania won the Bronze.

China finished the event with 188.9 points. The US finished about 2.5 points behind, a total of 186.525. While the US barely outscored China in the Vault and the Beam, they were outscored in the Floor routine and the Uneven bars.

Next up will be the Women's Individual All-Around event final, which takes place on Friday morning.

Photo Courtesy: AFP/Getty Images

Olympics: It's on!

2008-08-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

By the time you have read this, the opening ceremonies will have already been completed. They're 13 hours ahead of us (depending on which time zone you live in). Things will get kicked off right away on Saturday for the women's sports.

The US Women's volleyball team will square off against Japan at 10 am (all times here on in Eastern).

The Women's soccer team will play at 2 am. They will face Japan. Meanwhile, Canada will face China at the same time.

The US Women's basketball team is also playing their first game on Saturday. They face the Czech Republic at 2 am.

There are also several gold medal finals going on for Saturday. In Women's weightlifting, we will see the Flyweight gold medal final. That will be on at 2 am and you can see it on USA or USA HD.

The Air Rifle gold medal final in Women's shooting is also slated for Saturday. Finally, in Women's Fencing, the Individual Sabre gold medal final is also on tap for Saturday.

Enjoy the ceremonies.

LPGA Update: Shin wins Open

2008-08-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

Ji-Yai Shin shot a 6-under for the final round on Sunday to win the Ricoh's British Open. Shin, who finished all four rounds with a 18-under, won the Open by three shots. Yani Tseung also shot a 6-under to finish in second. Her four round total was 15-under.

Eun-Hee Ji and Yuri Fudoh finished in third when they finished the tournament at 14-under. Ai Miyazato finished the tournament in fifth place. She shot 13-under for the tournament after shooting 2-under on Sunday.

Defending champion Lorena Ochoa finished in a tie for seventh place. She was 11-under for the tournament..

Paula Creamer and Karrie Webb finished in a tie for ninth.

In her final major, Annika Sorenstam finished in a tie four 24th. She went 6-under for the tournament.