Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Northwestern
No. 14 Women's Tennis Outlasts Northwestern 4-3
3/21/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
March 21, 2001
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State head coach Kevin Epley's best coaching decision Wednesday may have occurred before the Bulldogs even hit the courts to take on No. 12 Northwestern.
Epley's hunch to start sophomore Kelly Ramirez at the No. 6 singles spot proved to be the difference in the Bulldog's 4-3 upset of the Wildcats at the Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center. Ramirez secured the match victory for the Bulldogs when she battled back to upend Northwestern's Ruth Barnes 4-6, 7-5, 6-3. The Ontario, Calif., native had not won a clean match (no default) since she defeated Yale's Liz Oosterhius 6-1, 6-4 on Mar. 10 and was kept out of the Bulldog's singles rotation for the last three matches. Nevertheless, Epley had a hunch.
"I think she was anxious to get out there" said Epley. "She hadn't been in that kind of a position yet this season, so that was really huge for her."
Neither had All-American junior Kim Niggemeyer. Niggemeyer, who has had little trouble dispatching of opponents at the No. 1 singles spot all season, struggled in a 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 win against the Wildcat's Colleen Cheng, ranked No. 42 nationally. Ironically, Niggemeyer's (18-5 overall, 11-1 dual-match) win came just seconds before Ramirez had clinched the match.
The Bulldogs rallied from a 3-1 match deficit to win after Niggemeyer, Ramirez and senior Liesl Fichtbauer pulled out singles wins. Fichtbauer survived a 15-minute match delay after the chair umpire had reversed a previous call and won five straight points after being down 0-40 in the second set at 5-2 to defeat Lia Jackson 7-5, 6-2. Northwestern had already captured wins at the Nos. 3, 4 and 5 singles spots.
"This was one of the best college tennis matches I've seen," Epley said. "The crowd was really into it, especially early on in the doubles matches."
The home crowd, arguably the largest of the season for the Bulldogs, played a huge role in Fresno State sweeping the three doubles matches and winning the doubles point. No. 3 doubles Chantel Wiggins and Ramirez were down 5-2 at one point before winning their next five games to cruise ahead 7-5. Wiggins' ace on match point gave the duo an 8-5 win.
The storyline was the same for No. 2 doubles Fichtbauer and Courtney Jantz, who erased a 7-4 match deficit to storm back and win 9-7. The No. 1 team of Simone Jardim and Niggemeyer, ranked No. 31 nationally, coasted in an 8-1 trouncing of the Wildcat's Cheng and Jessica Rush. Jardim and Niggemeyer are now 16-2 overall and 11-1 in dual-match play.
The Bulldogs will face No. 73 Boise State on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center.
Fresno State- 4
Northwestern- 3
Singles
No. 1 (#24) Kim Niggemeyer def. (#42) Colleen Cheng 6-3, 5-7, 6-2
No. 2 (#44) Liesl Fichtbauer def. (#53) Lia Jackson 7-5, 6-2
No. 3 Marine Piriou def. Simone Jardim 6-4, 6-1
No. 4 Simona Petrutiu def. Chantel Wiggins 6-3, 6-4
No. 5 Jessica Rush def. Ewa Grusiecka 2-6, 6-0, 6-4
No. 6 Kelly Ramirez def. Ruth Barnes 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
Doubles
No. 1 (#31) Jardim-Niggemeyer def. (#21) Cheng-Rush 8-1
No. 2 (#49) Fichtbauer-Jantz def. Jackson-Petruitiu 9-7
No. 3 Ramirez-Wiggins def. Piriou-Barnes 8-5
