Fresno State Athletics
Bulldogs Move Up To No. 18 in Rankings
2/15/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Feb. 15, 2007
Bulldogs Move Up to No. 18 in Rankings
The Fresno State women's tennis team moved up to No. 18 in the FILA ITA Rankings after a big win on Feb. 10 at Pepperdine. Despite losing the doubles point, the Bulldogs won five of six singles matches to capture a 5-2 victory. Sophomore Melanie Gloria and freshman Vanessa Heroux won in straight sets and sophomore Tinesta Rowe won in a super-tiebreaker. Fresno State showed tremendous resilience in the other three matches as well. Freshmen Renata Kucerkova and sophomore Danon Beatty both won in three sets to help Fresno State improve to 3-2 on the season. It is the highest Fresno State has been ranked since the team ended the 2004 season at No. 13, a program year-end high.
Fresno State Idle This Week, Head to UNLV Tournament Next Week
The Bulldogs are idle this week and will be back in action next week at the UNLV tournament. Fresno State will face Florida International, UNLV and Long Beach State. Last year the `Dogs won the tournament, beating UNLV in the final 4-3. The team beat Montana 7-0 in the first round, followed by a 5-2 defeat of Oklahoma State in the second round.
Life on the Road
When Fresno State completes competition at the UNLV tournament next week, the team will return home to the Wathen Tennis Center. The Bulldogs have spent the entire month of February on the road with mixed success. The `Dogs lost at Arizona State before winning at Arizona. Fresno State's trip to Southern California produced a 5-2 defeat of No. 13 Pepperdine while suffering a 7-0 loss to No. 15 UCLA. But on March 6, the team will host Virginia Tech at 5 p.m. in the Wathen Tennis Center. Fresno State hits the road only twice the rest of the year before the WAC tournament begins in late April.
Sophomore Sensation
Gloria began the year ranked No. 4 in the country after a brilliant fall season. The sophomore from Montreal, Canada, was a finalist in the ITA All-American and a semifinalist at both the Indoor Championships and the Northwest Regional. In the spring, Gloria began with three wins at the California Invitational, including a straight-set defeat of Cal's Suzi Babos. The dual season is now underway, and Gloria continues to dominate at the No. 1 position in the lineup.
Best of the Best
Head coach Simon Thibodeau has proven to be one of the best coaches in the nation. Thibodeau took over the program in 2004 and has since led the Bulldogs to the NCAA Round of 16 on two occasions. The `Dogs have won the WAC title in each of Thibodeau's three seasons as well. Under Thibodeau, four women have reached national finals. Jelena Pandzic reached the NCAA singles final in 2004 and Gloria advanced to the All-American final last fall. In doubles, Lucia Sainz and Katharina Winterhalter reached both the All-American and the NCAA final during the 2005-06 season.
Newcomers Provide Spark
Despite the loss of Sainz and Winterhalter, the Bulldog lineup includes three new faces that have given the team depth and attitude. Beatty and Kucerkova joined the team in the fall. Beatty owns a 12-6 overall record and is currently 3-1 in dual matches. Kucerkova earned a No. 49 national ranking after having a solid fall season. Kucerkova won five consecutive matches during the All-American qualifying rounds, including victories over ranked opponents. Freshman Anastasia Petukhova joined the team in the spring and has also made an immediate impact. In the California Invitational, prior to the dual season, Petukhova and Kucerkova beat No. 2 Babos and Fodor of Cal in doubles competition. Then in singles, Petukhova beat No. 14 Nina Henkel in straight sets.
Moving Up
Twice already this year Rowe has had to move up in the lineup. In Fresno State's season opener against Nevada, Gloria fell ill and everyone was moved up one spot in the singles lineup. Rowe, playing at the No. 3 spot for first time in her career, responded with a straight-set defeat of Bach-Lan Pham. It was sweet revenge for Rowe who had lost to Pham last season in straight sets. On Feb. 10, Rowe got another opportunity to play at the No. 3 spot. The `Dogs trailed 13th-ranked Pepperdine 1-0 after doubles, but the entire team reacted with energy - including Rowe. She beat Pepperdine's Katia Sabate in the super-tiebreaker to help Fresno State win 5-2.
Not Satisfied With Five In-A-Row
Fresno State has completely dominated the WAC the last five seasons. But the Bulldogs are not just satisfied being the five-time defending champions. The team will look to go after yet another conference title and continue its streak of 24 consecutive wins over WAC opponents. This year's conference championships will be held in Boise, Idaho, for the second straight season. The `Dogs beat Boise State 4-3 in the final last year.
Home Slate Packed with Tough Competition
The rest of the home scheduled is packed with tough competition. No. 66 Virginia Tech comes to town on March 6, followed by No. 16 TCU and No. 30 South Florida. TCU defeated Fresno State 5-2 last season in Fort Worth, Texas. The `Dogs will also host UC Irvine (No. 42), Colorado (No. 53), Sacramento State (No. 57), Kansas State (No. 63) and Loyola Marymount (No. 70).
The Comforts of Home
The Wathen Tennis Center has been a great venue for the Bulldogs to compete since its dedication in 1998. Since that time, the women's program owns a winning percentage of .894, including four seasons in which it went undefeated. In Thibodeau's three-plus seasons as head coach, the Bulldogs have only lost three times. In 2004, Fresno State went 9-0 at home, in 2005 it was 9-2 and last year it was 10-1.
Back in Action
Last season Heroux spent the dual season cheering on her teammates because of an injury. She was awarded a medical redshirt and is now at full strength. Now, the freshman from Montreal has given Fresno State depth in both singles and doubles for the dual season. Heroux was an important piece of Fresno State's 5-2 win over Pepperdine when she defeated Eva Dickes in straight sets at the No. 4 spot. In doubles, Heroux has played with Petukhova at the No. 1 spot and with Rowe at the No. 2 spot.
