Fresno State Athletics
Bulldog Pride
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May 17, 1999
Softball Wins WAC, Will Play Host to NCAA Regional
Defending champion Fresno State jumped out to a 3-0 lead early in the Western Athletic Conference Championship game against Utah and never looked back as it won the game, 8-0. Junior pitcher Amanda Scott (Clovis, Calif.) was named tournament MVP, and junior Angela Cervantez (Madera, Calif.) and freshman Kristen Hunter (Portland, Ore.) were named to the all-tournament team.
The Bulldogs will now play host to the NCAA Softball Regional Championships beginning Thursday, May 20 at Bulldog Diamond. Seeded number one in their region, The Bulldogs will meet Florida A&M (34-29), a first-time participant in the NCAA championships, in the 7:30 p.m. game Thursday night.
The Southeastern Conference's South Carolina (47-19), the number two seed, will play fifth-seeded Texas Tech (33-29). One of the eight Pac-10 teams to make the tournament, third-seeded Stanford (40-23) will meet fourth-seeded Pacific (37-10).
A four-day tournament pass for box seats is $45 with the upper seats at $40. Single day tickets for box seats is $20 and $15 for upper seats. Riser seating is $30 for a four-day tournament pass or $13 per day. General Admission four-day tournament passes are $20 and $10 per day. Seniors and students can obtain a four-day tournament pass for $10 or a single day pass for $6.
For more information on tickets, please call (559) 278-DOGS.
Men, Women Advance to NCAA Championship
After failing to make the NCAA Team Championships round of 16 last year - after four consecutive trips - the Fresno State men's tennis team is back after upsetting 15th-ranked USC, 4-1, at the Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center. The Bulldogs will now travel to Athens, Ga. to take on 8th-ranked LSU on Saturday, May 22.
Hosting the regional tournament for the second time in school history - the other time was 1995 - Fresno State used the home court advantage to jump on the Trojans early. The Bulldogs took an early 1-0 lead in the match by winning the doubles point and set the stage for the upset. The lead ran to 2-0 when sophomore David Mullins (Shankill, Ireland) earned a 6-2, 6-4 win over USC's Gregg Hill at the No. 4 singles spot. Southern Cal came back with a win at No. 1 singles, but victories by junior Andy Scorteanu (Palm Springs, Calif.) and junior Olivier LeJeune (Porspoder, France) sealed the win. The Bulldogs are now 17-1 at the two-year-old Wathen Tennis Center.
Not to be outdone, the Fresno State women will be making their first NCAA Championship appearance after defeating Harvard and William and Mary in regional play last weekend. The women's championship is being held in Gainesville, Fla. where they will take on 5th-ranked Mississippi on May 20.
Fresno State entered the match against Harvard on Saturday, May 15, with an 0-3 record in regional play but quickly erased that mark with a 6-2 win over Harvard. The win over Harvard gave Fresno State a chance to make history against William and Mary on its home court. Senior All-American Dora Djilianova (Plovdiv, Bulgaria) was the highlight of the day as she earned her school-record 40th victory of the season in singles and clinched the match with partner Liesl Ficthbauer (Hamburg, Germany) in doubles. Djilianova defeated Carlijn Buis of W&M, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, at No. 1 and the Bulldogs' top doubles duo defeated Laura Tsaggaris and Tari Ann Toro of W&M, 8-4, to secure a spot for Fresno State at the University of Florida.
Upcoming Events:
- WAC Baseball Tournament - May 19-22
- NCAA Softball Regional - May 20-23
- Fresno State Track and Field Banquet - May 25
- Fresno State Softball Banquet - June 4