Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State Takes on Pepperdine in NCAA First Round
5/11/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
May 11, 2004
Weekly Notes
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NCAA Tournament
Saturday-Sunday, May 15-16
First round: vs. Pepperdine
Saturday, May 15 -- 9 a.m.
L.A. Tennis Center -- Westwood, Calif.
What's Coming Up
For the 10th time in the last 11 years, Fresno State will play in the NCAA Tournament. This year, the 46th-ranked Bulldogs (13-9) travel to Westwood, Calif., to play their first round match against No. 25 Pepperdine. Should Fresno State knock off the Waves - which won the previous meeting this year 5-2 on April 10 - it would then play the winner of the Oral Roberts vs. host and No. 4-seed UCLA match.
What Just Happened
In their last outing, the Bulldogs bowed out in the first round of the WAC Tournament with a 4-3 loss to No. 60 Tulsa. It marked just the second time in 11 league tournaments that Fresno State fell in its opening round match.
NCAA Tournament History
The Bulldogs have played in 10 of the last 11 NCAA Tournaments, their lone absence coming in 2002. The program first appeared in the tournament in 1994 and proceeded to reel off bids in eight years in a row. After Fresno State slumped to a 7-16 record in that '02 season, it rebounded to make a return in 2003, eventually reaching the second round before falling to Stanford. The Bulldogs are 13-9 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including a 7-1 record in the first round. Fresno State's best finish came in 1996, when the team reached the Elite Eight before losing to top-seeded UCLA.
All-Time vs. Pepperdine
Should Fresno State advance past the first round of the NCAA's, it would have to do something that hasn't happened very much - defeat Pepperdine. The Bulldogs are just 2-12 all-time against the Waves, including a 5-2 loss in Malibu, Calif., on April 10. However, the only time the two teams have met in postseason history resulted in a 5-0 victory in the round of 16 in Athens, Ga. In fact, both of Fresno State's all-time wins against Pepperdine came in 1996.
Perfect Home Record
Fresno State's two wins over UC Irvine and Pacific April 17-18 capped an unbeaten home record. The Bulldogs went 11-0 at the Wathen Tennis Center this year, the first time since 1999 they did not lose a home match. Since the opening of the facility in 1998, Fresno State has gone 68-8 for a winning percentage of .895.
