Fresno State Athletics
Expectations, Rankings High for Bulldogs this Fall
9/12/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Sept. 12, 2007
FRESNO, Calif. - Expectations will be high again this season for the Fresno State women's tennis team. After reaching the NCAA Round of 16 the past two years, the bar has been raised for the Bulldogs and they are primed reach the next level.
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association's preseason rankings were released last week and many Bulldogs find themselves atop the charts.
Junior Melanie Gloria was a 2007 All-American and was ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation last season. This year, Gloria is ranked No. 3 to begin the fall season.
Gloria is a two-time Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year and was a finalist in last season's ITA All-American. Gloria will participate in the 2007 All-American, the first major championship of the college tennis season, which begins on Oct. 4 in Los Angeles.
Sophomores Renata Kucerkova and Anastasia Petukhova have also earned preseason rankings. Kucerkova enters the fall season ranked No. 43. Kucerkova was last year's WAC Freshman of the Year and she participated in the NCAA singles tournament. Petukhova has earned a No. 43 ranking after finishing the 2007 dual season on a 15-match winning streak. Petukhova was a first-team All-WAC selection in both singles and doubles while going 24-3 overall in singles and 21-8 in doubles. Both will participate in the All-American, beginning Oct. 2 in the qualifying rounds.
Gloria and junior Tinesta Rowe are ranked No. 11 in doubles. The tandem beat some of the best doubles teams in the country last year, including then-No. 3 McCray and Miller of Georgia Tech during the NCAA team championships. Gloria and Rowe have been selected to play in the main draw of the doubles tournament during the All-American.
Kucerkova and Petukhova are ranked No. 18 in doubles. The duo finished last season ranked No. 37 after having won 10 straight to end the year. They will also participate in the All-American doubles tournament, beginning in the qualifying rounds.
The Bulldogs will begin the fall season with the annual Bulldog Classic, Sept. 21-23, at the Wathen Tennis Center. Various members of the team will participate in other fall events including the Cal Nike Invitational, the St. Mary's Invitational and the Palm Springs Invitational. Along with the All-American, the Northwest Regional Championships in Stanford and the National Indoor Championships in Columbus, Ohio, will highlight the major fall competitions. Gloria was a singles semifinalist in both the National Indoors and the Northwest Regional.
2007-08 Fall Rankings
Singles
No. 3 Melanie Gloria
No. 43 Renata Kucerkova
No. 47 Anastasia Petukhova
Doubles
No. 11 Gloria/Rowe
No. 18 Kucerkova/Petukhova
