Fresno State Athletics
No. 30 'Dogs set for ITA Indoor Championships
2/4/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
By Josh Mitchell
jomitchell@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State will open up the 2016 ITA National Women's Indoor Championships at Neilsen Tennis Stadium in Madison, Wis., on Friday afternoon. The Bulldogs drew No. 8-seed Ohio State in the first round with the dual match beginning at approximately 1:30 p.m. PT. The 'Dogs will be guaranteed at least three matches during their time at nationals.
TOURNAMENT INFO
Match #4 • Feb. 5, 2016
Fresno State (2-1) vs No. 8-seed Ohio State (5-0)
1:30 p.m. PT • Madison, Wis.
Series Record: Buckeyes lead 1-0
Last Meeting: Ohio State won 6-1 in 2010.
Championship Central
Match Notes 
Bulldog Aces
• The trip to indoor nationals will be the Fresno State's third since 2008.
• The Bulldogs are one of five mid-major programs to earn a spot in the indoor Sweet 16 during the last decade.
• They were the lowest-seeded team (3) to reach national indoors. Aside from Wisconsin, which is the host, the remainder of the 14 teams in the tournament were either No. 1 or No. 2 seeds during the ITA Kick-Off Weekend.
• On Jan. 22 and 23, the Bulldogs completed back-to-back upsets over then-No. 34 Arkansas (4-1) and then-No. 9 UCLA (4-3) on the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. With the wins, the 'Dogs earned a spot in the ITA National Women's Team Championships in Madison, Wis.
• The win over UCLA was the program's fourth win over a Top 10 team since 2000 and second-ever over the Bruins.
• The win was also Head Coach Ryan Stotland's 50th at Fresno State.
• After posting a 2-0 record in singles playing during the ITA Kick-Off Weekend, including the decisive point against UCLA, junior Galina Bykova was named Mountain West Player of the Week.
Assessing the Field
• Fourteen teams in the ITA Indoor National Championship field rank in the ITA's top 18. Fresno State ranks 30 and host Wisconsin is unranked.
• No. 3 seed North Carolina is the reigning ITA indoor champion, while No. 1 Vanderbilt was the 2015 NCAA Champion.
• The Bulldogs' opening draw, eighth-seeded Ohio State is ranked No. 16 is 5-0 on the year with wins over Pepperdine (No. 18), TCU (No. 22) and Michigan (No. 12).
• The Buckeyes feature the No. 2-ranked singles player in freshman Francesca Di Lorenzo who won the USTA/ITA National Indoor Collegiate Championship in the fall.
• She defeated Fresno State's Mayar Sherif Ahmed in the opening round of that tournament, 6-4, 6-1.
• With a win, the 'Dogs would meet either the winner of No. 1 seed Vanderbilt and Duke.
Starting Strong as a 'Dog
• During the summer, the 'Dogs added 2015 Big Sky Player of the Year, Galina Bykova, to their roster for this season. In three dual matches this spring, the junior has an unblemished 3-0 record in singles play.
Looking Back at the Fall
• Sophomore Mayar Sherif Ahmed had a stellar fall season in which won the Jack Kramer Invite, placed second at the ITA Northwest Regional and earned an at-large bid to the USTA/ITA National Indoor Championships.
• Ahmed posted the team's top individual record in the fall at 11-4, which included going 4-1 against nationally ranked players. Two of her other losses came against newcomers who ranked as the No. 1 and No. 4 newcomers in the country.
• Along with her sister Rana, Mayar reached the finals of the Jack Kramer Invite and finished the fall with a 7-3 record.
In the Rankings
• The Bulldogs entered spring season ranked No. 54 in the ITA rankings.
• Mayar Sherif Ahmed ranks No. 26 in singles after moving up 78 spots from the fall.
• In doubles, Anneka and Sophie Watts are ranked No. 58 nationally.
On the Rise
• Just a sophomore, Mayar Sherif Ahmed soared up the rankings from the fall the spring after defeating
four ranked players during the fall, including two en-route to the ITA Northwest Regional championship match.
• Her top wins of the fall came over then-No. 16 Klara Fabikova of Cal and then-No. 17 Caroline Doyle of Stanford, both in straight sets.
