Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Northwestern (NCAA Round of 16)
Bulldogs Hang Tough with No. 1 Northwestern
5/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
May 15, 2008
TULSA, Okla. - The 16th seeded Bulldogs didn't make it easy for No. 1 Northwestern Thursday in the Round of 16 at the NCAA Women's Tennis Championships in Tulsa, Okla.
Northwestern overpowered Fresno State in the doubles, normally the team's strength. Nazlie Ghazal and Maria Mosolova overcame the No. 3 pairing of Danon Beatty and Jacqueline Haskett, 8-2.
On court two, Anastasia Petukhova and Renata Kucerkova kept pace with Northwestern early on, but fell behind 1-3 after some quick scoring by the Wildcats. But the Bulldogs refused to fold, battling back to a 5-5 tie. Despite putting up a fight for each game, Northwestern edged out the Bulldogs for the 8-5 win and the doubles point.
The No. 1 doubles match proved to be paired well as Bulldogs Melanie Gloria and Tinesta Rowe and Northwestern's Lauren Lui and Georgia Rose battled for each point. Court two had already played three points before the top court had even posted a point. Although the Wildcats took the first point, Fresno State responded each time. When the doubles point was called, the `Dogs had a 5-4 lead over Northwestern.
"We could have done better in doubles, which has been our strength in the past" said head coach Simon Thibodeau. "It made it hard for us to come back."
Northwestern won the first singles point as Suzie Matzenauer downed Beatty, 6-3, 6-3. Beatty struggled to find her rhythm in the first set, but stayed with Matzenauer in the second's opening points, holding a 3-3 tie before falling to the Wildcat.
Gloria, the team's go-to player, struggled on the top court.
"She was good and I made some mistakes," said Gloria of opponent Mosolova.
Mosolova won out over Gloria, 6-3, 6-2, putting the Wildcats up 3-0.
On Court 2, Petukhova downed Rose, a familiar foe.
"We played earlier this season and she won," said Pehukhova. "I knew what to expect and was looking forward to playing her again."
Petukhova won 6-4, 6-4, keeping the Bulldogs alive as the fight to stay alive in the tournament continued in the back courts.
Haskett, playing on court 5, dropped her first set, 6-3 to Suzie Matzenauer and looked like she would fall in the second, down 4-2. With a pep talk from Thibodeau, Haskett began her steady climb to the top, overcoming Matzenauer 6-4, buying more time for the Bulldogs.
Meanwhile, Kucerkova and Murray seemed to be equally-paired. The score seesawed back and forth, culminating in a tie-breaker. Kucerkova won out 7-6 (7-1).
Rowe, too, was locked in a tight competition with Lui on the fourth court resulting in a second tie-breaker for the teams. This time it was the Wildcats that came out on top as Lui won the first set 7-6 (7-4). The tie-breaker proved crucial for the match as the momentum swung to Lui as she overcame Rowe for the team point and the win.
"We have a lot to look forward to," said Thibodeau. "Everyone comes back next season, except one."
While the season is over for the team on the whole, four Bulldogs are still in the singles and doubles tournament beginning next Thursday. Gloria and Petukhova will both compete in the singles tournament. Partners Gloria and Rowe along with Petukhova and Kucerkova will play in the doubles tournament.
Doubles (Northwestern wins doubles point)
1) #2 Gloria/Rowe (FS) vs. #19 Lui/Rose, 5-4 DNF
2) Matzenauer/Murray (NU) def. Petukhova/Kucerkova, 8-5
3) Ghazal/Mosolova (NU) def. Beatty/Haskett, 8-2
Order of Completion: 3, 2
Singles
1) #5 Maria Mosolova (NU) def. #16 Melanie Gloria (FS), 6-3, 6-2
2) #22 Anastasia Petukhova (FS) def. #11 Georgia Rose (NU), 6-4, 6-4
3) Renata Kucerkova (FS) vs. #32 Samantha Murray (NU), DNF
4) #53 Lauren Lui (NU) def. #110 Tinesta Rowe (FS), 7-6 (7-4), 6-2
5) Jacqueline Haskett (FS) vs. Nazlie Ghazal (NU), DNF
6) Suzie Matzenauer (NU) def. Danon Beatty (FS), 6-3, 6-3
Order of Completion: 6, 1, 2, 4
Players Mentioned
