Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Tulsa<BR>(WAC Tournament)
No. 22 Women's Tennis Wins WAC Title
4/27/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 27, 2003
FRESNO, Calif. - Chloe Carlotti's three-set victory at No. 1 singles clinched top-seeded Fresno State's 4-2 victory over Tulsa in the championship match of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament in Boise, Idaho.
It marks the third league title the Bulldogs (16-7) have won since joining the WAC in 1992, including their second in a row. Since Kevin Epley took over as head coach prior to the 2000-01 season, Fresno State has played in the WAC finals each year.
The win also gives the Bulldogs an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, which begins May 9 at campus sites around the nation.
This league crown comes in a year in which the 22nd-ranked Bulldogs field the youngest starting lineup of any Top 25 team. Fresno State's roster -- comprised of just six players, the minimum necessary to play a college tennis match -- is made up of four freshmen and two sophomores.
"I can't say how proud of this team I am," said Epley, who is 8-1 all-time in WAC Tournament matches. "Tulsa is a tough, tough team, and they really gave us a battle. But we hung in and played the big points tough, and that's what you have to do in these big matches."
The victory was Fresno State's ninth in a row and continued the team's turnaround since seeing its record fall to the .500 mark on March 25. On that day, the Bulldogs lost to No. 14 Washington -- the team's fourth loss in six matches -- and dropped to 7-7 on the year.
Even worse was that Lucia Sainz, who was held out of the Washington match, and Kathrin Winterhalter were both plagued by injuries, and road matches against nationally-ranked Pepperdine and Washington State loomed.
But the Bulldogs pulled together to defeat the Waves and Cougars immediately after the Washington loss and haven't tasted defeat since.
"Whenever you have a successful season like we've had, you have to overcome some adversity, and we have definitely done that this year," Epley said. "After that loss to Washington, we really came together as a team. I think that loss made us stronger and made us tougher. And being tough was a big reason why we were able to win this match today."
 | After that loss to Washington [in March], we really came together as a team. I think that loss made us stronger and made us tougher. Fresno State head coach Kevin Epley |
Against Tulsa (15-11), the Bulldogs grabbed a 1-0 lead by winning the doubles point, something they did in each WAC Tournament match. At No. 1, the duo of Chloe Carlotti and Lucia Tallo won for the 12th match in a row in defeating Alicia Pillay and Aleksandra Durska 8-6. The tandem, ranked No. 15 in the country, improved to 18-2 (14-1 dual) on the season.
In singles, the Golden Hurricane, seeded second, grabbed victories at Nos. 3 and 4 while Fresno State countered with wins from Kathrin Winterhalter at No. 5 and Kirsty McRae at No. 6. Winterhalter and McRae combined for five singles victories during the championships.
With the Bulldogs clinging to a 3-2 lead, two matches remained -- Carlotti at No. 1 and Tallo at No. 2 -- with both in the third set. The clincher came from Carlotti, a sophomore ranked ninth in the nation. She came from behind to beat the 26th-ranked Pillay 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
 Kevin Epley was named WAC Coach of the Year for a second consecutive season after guiding Fresno State to its second successive conference title. | |
Carlotti, who last year became the first freshman in program history to earn All-America honors, moved her record to a gaudy 28-7 (19-2 dual) with the win, her ninth in a row.
"Chloe's win was just huge," said Epley. "Lucia [Tallo] was really in a dogfight, so Chloe being able to win her match was key. Alicia Pillay is a very good player, and that is a solid win for Chloe."
The Bulldogs also raked in several honors on the All-WAC team. Carlotti was named the Player of the Year while Epley was voted the Coach of the Year for the second season in a row. Carlotti was also a member of the All-WAC first team in singles, as was Tallo. Carlotti and Tallo were first-team all-conference in doubles as well.
Fresno State will tune into the NCAA Tennis Selection Show on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. to discover its fate. The Bulldogs have played in the NCAA's seven consecutive seasons.
No. 22 Fresno State 4, No. 47 Tulsa 2
Doubles (Fresno State wins point)
1) #15 Carlotti/Tallo (FS) def. #57 Pillay/Durska (TU), 8-6
2) Sainz/Winterhalter (FS) vs. Smith/Barrios (TU), did not finish
3) Jovanovic/McRae (FS) def. Buhagiar/Muscolino (TU), 8-3
Singles
1) #9 Chloe Carlotti (FS) def. #26 Alicia Pillay (TU), 3-6, 6-4, 6-3*
2) #115 Lucia Tallo (FS) def. Aleksandra Durska (TU), did not finish
3) Daniela Muscolino (TU) def. Lucia Sainz (FS), 6-3, 6-4
4) Tiffany Smith (TU) def. Vlatka Jovanovic (FS), 6-2, 6-3
5) Kathrin Winterhalter (FS) def. Zoe Buhagiar (TU), 6-1, 6-0
6) Kirsty McRae (FS) def. Timberley Greenly (TU), 6-4, 6-1
* Denotes clinching match
Records: Fresno State (16-7); Tulsa (15-11)
Fresno State wins the WAC Tournament
