Fresno State Athletics
'Dogs Open Fall Season at Cal Nike Invitational
9/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Sept. 25, 2008
FRESNO, Calif.- The Fresno State women's tennis team has been hard at work preparing for the upcoming season. The time has finally come for the defending WAC champions to begin where they left off last season.
Six Bulldogs will compete in the Cal Nike Invitational in Berkeley, Calif. Friday. The two 'Dogs not making the trip include senior Tinesta Rowe and junior Renata Kucerkova, who will be competing in the All-American pre-qualifier tournament this weekend.
Senior Melanie Gloria will lead her team into Berkeley Friday. Gloria proved to be very comfortable playing on the campus of UC Berkeley going 3-0 at last year's Cal Winter Invite in singles, and 3-0 in doubles with Rowe. Gloria has earned a No. 12 national ranking to begin the fall season while her teammate, junior Anastasia Petukhova, gets back on the court Friday with a No. 16 ranking in singles.
"We are excited to begin our fall season at the Cal Nike Invitational," Head Coach Simon Thibodeau said. "We will focus on playing well and improving our game in a competitive environment, which will help us evaluate where we are at as a team."
Freshmen Abigail Olivier and Laura Pola will see their first competitive action as Bulldogs this weekend.
"This is a great opportunity for our freshman to see some of the best players in the circuit," said Thibodeau. "The chance to play multiple singles and doubles matches this weekend will help both Olivier and Pola gain experience for the new season."
This weekend's tournament features many of the nation's top women's tennis players. Along with Gloria and Petukhova, other top ranked competitors that will be in action include: No. 7 Marina Cossou from Cal, No. 19 Nadia Abdala and No. 20 Kelcy Mckenna, both from Arizona State.
Other schools in action at the Cal Nike Invitational include: Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Cal, Long Beach State, Minnesota, Nevada, Pacific, Sacramento State, St. Mary's, San Francisco, Santa Clara, and UC Davis.
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