Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Pacific
Bulldogs Top Pacific 6-1 in Regular Season Finale
4/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 17, 2005
FRESNO, Calif. - Seniors Lucia Tallo and Courtney Jantz won in the final home match of their careers and Katharina Winterhalter continued the most dominating stretch of her career as Fresno State wrapped up the regular season with a 6-1 victory over Pacific on Sunday afternoon at the Wathen Tennis Center.
With the WAC Tournament coming up next week, the Bulldogs (13-8) are entering postseason play riding a five-match winning streak, their longest of the season. Fresno State is the three-time defending champion of the event, which starts Thursday in Honolulu.
"This has been a tough season, with plenty of ups and downs, but we are where we need to be going into the postseason," said head coach Simon Thibodeau. "This team has the experience of playing in big matches, so hopefully that is something we can draw on. Winning the WAC is something we might need to do in order to play in the NCAA Tournament this season."
The winner of the league tournament earns an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. The 58th-ranked Bulldogs have played in the NCAA's nine years in a row.
It was an emotional match for Tallo and Jantz, two of the most successful players in program history. Both were honored with commemorative plaques during a ceremony just prior to singles competition and were embraced by Thibodeau, who has served as the head coach for the past two years.
As they have done several times in their careers, Tallo and Jantz posted victories in doubles and singles to help pace Fresno State, which won its 10th in a row over Pacific (17-5). The Bulldogs easily swept the doubles matches, with Jantz teaming with Lucia Sainz for an 8-5 win over Katharina Heil and Vana Mrazovic. It was the 26th victory of the season for the 43rd-ranked duo.
Tallo teamed with freshman Jacqui Haskett to have an easier go of things. They won the first seven games of their pro-set and breezed to an 8-1 decision over Natalie Kostenko and Viktoria Szendrei.
While the singles play of Jantz and Tallo was noteworthy on this Senior Day, it was Winterhalter who stole the show. The junior defeated the 95th-ranked Mrazovic for her fifth win in a row, claiming her 24th victory of the season in the process.
But it's not just that Winterhalter is winning; instead, it is the overwhelming fashion in which she is doing it. During her five-match winning streak, Winterhalter has dropped a mere 12 games combined. Her opponent Sunday, Mrazovic, entered with a solid 20-8 (15-5 dual) record yet was no competition for Winterhalter, whose play is conjuring memories of her outstanding 2003-04 campaign, when she won 16 of her last 18 match and became just the fifth Bulldog ever to claim 30 singles victories.
"Kat is really playing outstanding tennis right now," Thibodeau said. "She might not be a senior, but she is definitely one of the leaders of this team. She's really is controlling the tempo of matches in both doubles and singles. Kat has been one of the big reasons why we are playing well right now."
A straight-set win at No. 5 by Haskett moved the score to 3-0 and pushed Fresno State to the brink of victory. Fittingly, it was Tallo at No. 2 who clinched the win when she dispatched Kostenko 6-3, 6-3. It was the 77th singles victory of her career, the fifth-best total in program history.
Finishing just behind Tallo was Jantz, a fifth-year senior who also ranks in the top 10 in program annals in both singles and doubles wins. Her 6-3, 7-6 (3) triumph over Anja Herrmann at No. 4 increased Fresno State's advantage to 5-0.
 Just moments after fellow senior Lucia Tallo won, Courtney Jantz (pictured) cruised to a straight-set victory at No. 4 singles.  | |
Jantz enters the postseason with 67 wins in singles - the ninth-best total ever by a Bulldog - and 85 wins in doubles.
"What Courtney and Lucia (Tallo) have done for this program cannot be put into words," Thibodeau said. "Their records speak for themselves. They are two of the winningest players in program history; they have helped us win three WAC titles in a row; they have played in the NCAA Tournament each year; and they are outstanding academically. They are everything a coach could ask for in a student-athlete."
Rounding out the winners in singles for Fresno State was Fadzai Masiyazi at No. 6. She fought her way past Helen Schneider 6-2, 7-6 (9) for the final Bulldog victory of the day.
While the WAC Tournament begins Thursday, the Bulldogs are expected to be the No. 2 seed, meaning they will receive a first-round bye and won't begin play until Friday. The draw will be determined early this week.
Stay tuned to gobulldogs.com for blanket coverage of this year's WAC Tennis Tournament. We're getting serious for this event and unveiling on-site reports of each Fresno State men's and women's match. A tournament preview will be posted sometime early this week, as well. You want to know everything there is to know about this WAC Tournament? Stay tuned to the worldwide leader in Fresno State sports on the Internet - www.gobulldogs.com.
No. 58 Fresno State def. Pacific, 6-1
Doubles (Fresno State wins point)
1) #43 Jantz/Sainz (FS) def. Heil/Mrazovic (Pac), 8-5
2) Tallo/Haskett (FS) def. Kostenko/Szendrei (Pac), 8-1
3) Masiyazi/Winterhalter (FS) def. Trumpf/Herrmann (Pac), 8-4
Order of completion: 2, 1, 3
Singles
1) #92 Katharina Winterhalter (FS) def. #95 Vana Mrazovic (Pac), 6-1, 6-2
2) Lucia Tallo (FS) def. Natalia Kostenko (Pac), 6-3, 6-3
3) Katharina Trumpf (Pac) def. Lucia Sainz (FS), 0-6, 6-2, 6-3
4) Courtney Jantz (FS) def. Anja Herrmann (Pac), 6-3, 7-6 (3)
5) Jacqui Haskett (FS) def. Viktoria Szendrei (Pac), 6-1, 6-3
6) Fadzai Masiyazi (FS) def. Helen Schneider (Pac), 6-2, 7-6 (9)
Order of completion: 1, 5, 2, 4, 6, 3
Records: Fresno State (13-8); Pacific (17-5)
Time of Match: 2:48
Conditions: 74 degrees, mostly sunny, winds 10 mph
