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Fresno State Defeats Washington State in First RoundNo. 25 Fresno State took down No. 27 Washington State, 4-0 at the Hellman Tennis Center in Berkeley, Calif. The Bulldogs took two of the three doubles matches, with Chantel Wiggins and Courtney Jantz dropping Nora Gaal and Zorana Roganovic, 8-6 to clinch the point, giving the Bulldogs the momentum over the Cougars heading into singles. Wiggins, who also clinched the match for FS, rallied after dropping the first set, 2-6, to throttle Gaal 6-0, 6-1 in the second and third sets. Likewise, Kim Niggemeyer had problems getting past Erica Perkins in the first set, ultimately defeating the Cougar, 7-6(3) in a tiebreak set. Niggemeyer blew past Perkins, 6-1, in the second stanza.
Bulldogs Fall To Cal-BerkeleyCalifornia (14-9) defeated Fresno State (16-6), 4-1 May 11, in the second round of the NCAA Championships. The win marked the Bears' 30th-straight victory over the Bulldogs, who have yet to win a match over Cal. In doubles, Bear pair Raquel Kops-Jones and team captain Christina Fusano remained undefeated with a dominating win over FSs Kim Niggemeyer and Simone Jardim. Kops-Jones and Fusano are 6-0 since teaming up for the first time two weeks ago at the Pac-10 Doubles Championship, which the tandem won.
On the singles courts, Kops-Jones was the first to chalk up a point for the Bears, leaping out to an early 3-0 lead over Niggemeyer to breeze to a straight set, 6-3, 6-3 victory. Nicole Havlicek finished shortly after, dropping Chantel Wiggins, 6-4, 6-3 on the fifth court. Jardim would take a victory on the third court, leaving the Bears at match point, ahead 3-1. The Bulldogs kept themselves in the game by taking first set victories over Fusano (6-0) and Kristen Case (7-5), as well as Luciana Tallo's come-from-behind second set victory on the fourth court. Fusano, however, charged back into her match after losing her first seven games to Chloe Carlotti on the second court. The Bears' team captain outlasted the Bulldog to take a 0-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory.
Injured Lawson, Stoop Pair Miss NCAAsThe Boise State doubles team of Renate Stoop and Helen Lawson had to withdraw from the NCAA Championship Tournament due to an injury to Helen Lawsons right arm. Lawson suffered the injury the week of the WAC Tournament. Team doctors determined further aggravation could worsen the situation. Stoop and Lawson played at the number one position for the Broncos, and accumulated a record of 23-7 overall this season, and 16-4 at number one doubles in the spring. The pair will be a strong force again next year in doubles when Lawson will be a junior and Stoop will be a senior. It was the first time these two had qualified to the NCAA Tournament as a doubles team.
NCAA Singles/Doubles ChampionshipsThe WAC bosts three singles and two doubles teams in this years NCAA Championships. WAC Freshman of the Year, Chloe Carlotti (19-8) and WAC Player of the Year Kim Niggemeyer (15-10), both of Fresno State, and Tulsas Alicia Pillay (13-3) will respresent the singles. The round of 64 begins May 20 at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium in Stanford, Calif., and continues through the 25th.
Niggemeyer, along with teammate Simone Jardim will be the only WAC team competing in the NCAA doubles championship. Boise States Helen Lawson and Renate Stoop were selected, but due to a Lawson arm injury suffered at the WAC Tournament, they will not compete. Simone and Niggemeyer (18-6) finished the regular season ranked 10th in the nation.
20 Match WinnersThere were two 20 dual-match winners in the WAC this season. Boise States Erin Polowski and Fresno States Simone Jardim. Polowski, a sophomore from Boise, Idaho (Centennial HS), garnered a record of 21-4 primarily from the fourth ladder position. Jardim, a senior from Santa maria, Brazil (Auburn), earned a 20-5 record from the third position. Jardim was also named to the all-WAC second team.
Grusome TwosomesFour WAC doubles teams manged at least 15 wins this dual-match season. Boise States first team all-WAC doubles team of Renate Stoop and Helen Lawson earned 16 wins in 20 matches. Bronco second team all-WAC doubles team of Erin Polowski and Jemima Hayward managed just one loss in 24 matches. First team all-WAC duo of Kim Niggemeyer and Simone Jardim of Fresno State, compiled 18 wins and only six losses. The Stoop, Lawson pair earned an NCAA bid for the doubles tournament but were forced to step down after Lawson injured her arm at the WAC Tournament. Polowski and Hayward managed to lose only won match in the spring, going 5-0 from the one position and 18-1 from the two. The Niggemeyer, Jardim combo finished the regular season as the nations tenth ranked doubles team according to the ITA.
McMurray, Tulsa Winningest CoachHead Coach Paige McMurray became Tulsas winningest coach in school history with a 5-2 victory over the University of Texas-Arlington on Feb. 24. McMurray surpassed former women's coach and current men's head coach, Vince Westbrook, for first place among TU's career coaching leaders with her 53rd career win.