Fresno State Athletics
Women's Tennis Year In Review
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
May 31, 1999
Fresno, Calif. - Bulldogs Made First NCAA Appearance
The 20th-ranked Fresno State womens tennis team made its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tennis Championships on Thur., May 20, at the University of Florida. The Bulldogs lost in the round of 16 to fifth-ranked Mississippi, 5-1, to concluded their season with a 24-7 dual match record. The highlight of the match was a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 victory by Dora Djilianova (Plovdov, Bulgaria) at No. 1 singles over Mississippis fourth-ranked Agnes Muzamel. It was Djilianovas second victory over a Top 5 opponent this season - the other was over third-ranked Marissa Irvin of Stanford, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, on April 20.
Djilianova Earns All-America Honors
Senior Dora Djilianova earned All-America honors for the first time in her career by reaching the third round of the NCAA singles tournament. Djilianova, the tournaments fourth-seed, breezed by Erica Perkins of Washington State, 6-1, 6-1 in the first round before defeating Angela Lawerance of Pepperdine, 6-2, 6-3, in the second round, securing All-America status. In the round of 16, Djilianova was defeated by Sandy Sureephong of Texas, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, to close out her senior season with a 43-9 record. Djilianova entered the tournament ranked sixth in singles by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
Djilianova, Fichtbauer Make Return Trip
Dora Djilianova and sophomore Liesl Fichtbauer (Hamburg, Germany) made their second trip, in as many years, to the NCAA doubles tournament in 1999. The Fresno State duo, ranked 28th at the time, were defeated by Tari Ann Toro and Laura Tsaggaris of Wiliam & Mary, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6, in the first round. Djilianova and Fichtbauer had defeated the Toro and Tsaggaris, 8-4, just one week prior in the NCAA regional team tournament.
Harris Region Coach of the Year
Fresno State head coach Irene Harris was named Northwest Region Coach of the Year and Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year after her 1998-99 Bulldogs put together one of the finest seasons in her ten year tenure. Harris guided the Bulldogs to their first WAC Championship and first appearance in the NCAA Championships round of 16. Fresno State tied a record for wins in a season with a 24-7 dual record which included an undefeated (13-0) record at home. For her career, Harris is now 175-110 in ten years as head coach of the Bulldogs. Fresno State also earned its third consecutive ITA All-Academic team honor last summer.
Bulldogs Breakthrough In Regional Competition
Fresno State earned its first NCAA regional tournament victory with a 7-2 win over Harvard at the College of William & Mary on May 15. Entering the Harvard match, the Bulldogs were 0-3 in regional competition. The Bulldogs followed up their first victory with a 5-3 win over host William & Mary to advance to the NCAA Championship at the University of Florida.
Home Court Advantage
The Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center became the Bulldogs most valuable weapon during the 1999 dual season. Fresno State compiled a perfect 13-0 record at home, including wins over six ranked opponents. The Bulldogs defeated 19th-ranked South Alabama (5-4), 22nd-ranked Washington (5-4), 25th-ranked San Diego State (7-2), 42nd-ranked Oregon (9-0), #47 Purdue (6-3), and 63rd-ranked UTEP (9-0). In the two years the facility has been open, Fresno State is 18-3 overall.
Strong Freshman Class
Not since the 1995-96 season has head coach Irene Harris had a crop of freshman that had such a large impact on the team. The 1998-99 freshman class of Kim Niggemeyer (Berlin, Germany), Ewa Grusiecka (Sopot, Germany) and Chantel Wiggins (Fresno, Calif.) put up numbers this season that compares them with the 1995-96 trio of Dora Djilianova, Shana Peete and Terje Pallo. Niggemeyer, who missed the entire Fall season and a couple dual matches with a wrist injury, put together a 16-8 singles record - at No. 2 and No. 3 - to garner WAC Freshman of the Year honors. Grusiecka joined the team in January and quickly made an impact at No. 5 and No. 6 singles, compiling a 21-6 record. A walk-on, Wiggins impressed the coaching staff on her way to earning a scholarship and 13-5 overall singles record.
Bulldogs Capture First WAC Title
The 21st-ranked Fresno State womens tennis team claimed its first Western Athletic Conference Championship on Saturday, May 1, by defeating 29th-ranked New Mexico, 5-3, in Albuquerque, N.M. The top-seeded Bulldogs played to a 3-3 tie with second-seeded New Mexico after singles, but strong performances at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles proved to be the difference in the match. After receiving an 8-1 win at No. 3 doubles from junior Renee Kops-Jones (Fresno, Calif.) and freshman Kim Niggemeyer, over the Lobos Courtney Choate and Neza Kurnik, the Bulldogs received the clinching point from 28th-ranked Dora Djilianova and Liesl Fichtbauer. The duo defeated Ana Friganovic and Joanne Shortall, 8-6, at No. 1.
Peete, Pallo Concluded Careers
Seniors Shana Peete (Germantown, Tenn.) and Terje Pallo (Tallinn, Estonia) concluded their collegiate careers in the Bulldogs 5-1 loss to Mississippi at the NCAA Championships on May 20. Peete finishes ranked second on the Fresno State career wins list (88) after finishing the 1998-99 season with a 25-16 record. In four years, Peete has posted three 20-win seasons in singles and was named to the All-WAC singles team in 1999. Pallo saw limited time in singles (28-27) but was an key part in Fresno States doubles success, compiling a 58-39 overall record.
Djilianova Is Simply The Best
In her final season as a Bulldog, Dora Djilianova has established herself - without a doubt - as the best player in Fresno State womens tennis history. In 1999, Djilianova became the first Fresno State womens tennis player to earn All-America honors after reaching a career-high sixth in the ITA singles rankings. With a 43-9 overall record, Djilianova is the winningest tennis player for a season - male or female - in Fresno State history and her 129 career victories is tops on the all-time mens and womens win lists. Djilianova competed at the NCAA singles tournament for the fourth time in her career and was named the ITA Northwest Senior Player of the Year. Djilianova has excelled in the classroom as well, as she is a two-time CoSIDA/GTE Academic All-American and has been recognized by the ITA as a scholar athlete.
