Fresno State Athletics
No. 14 Bulldogs Host NCAA Regional This Weekend
5/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
FRESNO, Calif. - The 14th-ranked Fresno State women's tennis team hosts the 2007 NCAA first and second rounds at the Wathen Tennis Center beginning on Saturday at 10 a.m. Long Beach State faced Pepperdine at 10 a.m. in one first round matchup, while Fresno State takes on Army at 1 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students, seniors and persons 17 years and younger.
Here is a look at each team:
Army (15-10): The Army Black Knights enter the tournament having won seven straight matches. Army beat Lehigh 4-0 in the semifinals of the Patriot League tournament before shutting out Bucknell in the final. It was Army's third straight league title.
The Black Knights are led by sophomore Niki Flach who was named the 2007 Patriot League Player of the Year. She earned first-team All-Patriot League honors and was named the tournament Co-MVP with teammate Brooke Jones. Jones, also a sophomore, was named to the first-team All-Patriot League and boasts a team-best 16 singles wins in dual matches.
Flach and Jones have been solid as doubles partners playing at the No 1 spot. The tandem is 15-3 and currently owns a 12-match winning streak. The other two doubles duos also own winning records.
Head coach Paul Peck was named Patriot League Coach of the Year and has led Army to seven NCAA Tournament appearances. He has also helped the team reach the 15-win mark for the 10th straight season.
Freshman Kristin Beehler and sophomore Sarah Giles-Madden were named to the second-team All-Patriot League following solid seasons of their own. Beehler went 13-9 in dual matches playing primarily at the No. 4 spot, while Giles Madden was 12-10 playing mostly at the No. 3 position.
No. 14 Fresno State (20-3): The Bulldogs enter the 2007 NCAA tournament as the No. 14 overall seed. Last season, the `Dogs beat Sacramento State in the first round and then defeated Cal to advance to the round of 16. Fresno State has made 12 consecutive NCAA appearances, advancing to the round of 16 on three occasions.
Fresno State currently owns an 11-match winning streak, shutting out its last seven opponents. The Bulldogs bring plenty of momentum into the tournament after capturing their sixth consecutive Western Athletic Conference title.
Fresno State boasts two-time WAC Player of the Year Melanie Gloria who currently owns a No. 3 national ranking. She is 35-4 overall and 21-1 in dual matches and will enter the NCAA individual singles tournament as the No. 3 seed. Gloria was a finalist during the ITA All-America earlier this season and also reached the semifinals of the National Indoors Championship.
Gloria and sophomore Tinesta Rowe have qualified together as a doubles tandem for the NCAA doubles tournament. The duo is 12-3 in dual matches and won 10 straight matches during one juncture of the season. They are currently ranked No. 39 and have been as high as No. 26.
Freshman Renata Kucerkova was named the WAC Freshman of the Year after an outstanding rookie campaign. She is currently ranked No. 54, is 29-7 overall and 18-3 in dual matches and has qualified for the NCAA singles tournament. Her best win was a three-set defeat of then-No. 12 Sarah Fansler of USC. Freshman Anastasia Petukhova owns a No. 80 national ranking and earned first-team All-WAC in singles and doubles. Sophomore Danon Beatty also had a solid season in both singles and doubles, and was named to the All-WAC second-team in singles.
No. 44 Long Beach State (17-8): Long Beach State enters the tournament with a hot streak, winning its last seven matches. The 49ers won their fourth straight Big West Conference Championship after breezing through this year's tournament with three consecutive shut outs. The 49ers beat CS Fullerton 6-0 in the quarterfinals, CS Northridge 4-0 in the semis and Cal Poly 4-0 in the final.
Sophomore Hannah Grady was named the Big West Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. Joining Grady on the all-conference first-team in singles were junior Stephanie Bengson and sophomore Katy Williams. Earning first-team All-Big West honors in doubles were Bengson and Williams as one tandem, and Grady and Jessica Weeks as the other duo.
Head coach Jenny Hilt-Costello is in her tenth season at Long Beach State and has led the 49ers to seven consecutive appearances in the Big West tournament championship match. She has been named the Big West Coach of the year in four previous seasons and was the 2004 ITA West Region Coach of the Year.
Bengson leads the team with 17 wins during dual matches and 20 victories overall on the season. Grady is right behind her with 15 wins in dual matches, playing primarily at the No. 1 spot in the lineup. In doubles, all three teams have winning records led by Grady and Weeks at the No. 2 spot with a 15-7 record.
Senior Sandra Rocha, who plays primarily at the No. 5 spot, became the winningest player in Long Beach State women's tennis history on March 22 against Princeton. Rocha currently owns 147 wins combined in singles and doubles.
No. 20 Pepperdine (19-9): Pepperdine has won five straight West Coast Conference titles after beating Saint Mary's 4-0 two weeks ago at the conference tournament. In 21 years of WCC tennis, Pepperdine has won the conference crown on 19 occasions. Pepperdine, like the other three teams participating in this weekend's tournament, won each of its conference tournament matches by shut out.
The Waves are making their 24th NCAA Tournament appearance and 20th consecutive dating back to 1988. Pepperdine has recorded first-round wins in each of the last five seasons and 12 of the previous 13 years.
Pepperdine has faced Long Beach State and Fresno State already this season. The Waves beat the 49ers 5-2 and lost to the Bulldogs 5-2.
Juniors Bianca Dulgheru and Sylvia Kosakowski were named to the first-team All-WCC in both singles and doubles. Freshman Katia Sabate earned first-team All-WCC in singles, while senior Caroline Raba was named to the second-team in singles. Freshman Anete Bandere and senior Eva Dickes were named to the second-team in doubles.
Bandere leads the team with 17 singles victories in dual matches and a team-best 24 overall. Sabate follows with 15 singles victories in dual play, while Kosakowski owns 22 overall wins. Kosakowski, who enters the tournament with a No. 52 national ranking, has qualified for the NCAA singles tournament.
