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Tournament Bracket.PDF
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WHAT: Men's Tennis Championship
WHERE: Championship Information -Houston, Texas
Located on the campus of Rice University.
DATE: Friday-Sunday, April 30-May 2, 2004
RESULTS: 2004 Championship ResultsSCHEDULE OF EVENTS: 2004 Schedule of Events
CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK - This season, the Western Athletic Conference Tournament will be held in Houston, Texas at Jake Hess Tennis Stadium on the campus of Rice University, April 30-May 2. The 2003 champion, Fresno State, will look to win its third-straight title.
Last season, the WAC Women's Tennis Championship went to Fresno State after a 4-2 win over Tulsa. The Bulldogs won the doubles point and fought off a determined Tulsa team to win three of the singles matches. Tulsa won two of the singles match and the final match on the court was stopped at the conclusion of the match.
Boise State - Boise State is led senior Jemima Hayward, a second-team all-WAC selection from last season. Hayward is 26-9 overall this season with a solid 14-5 dual match record. All 19 matches were played at the No. 1 position. Hayward and doubles partner Erin Polowski have also had a solid season with an overall record of 23-8 and a 13-4 record in dual matches. Boise state is 14-7 this season with a 1-1 record against other WAC schools.
Fresno State - No. 13 Fresno State is 17-3 this season, the most wins in the league. The 17 wins are the teams most in a regular season since 2001, when the Bulldogs reached a program-high No. 8 in the national rankings. The Bulldogs will take on either San Jose State or Louisiana Tech in the first round on Friday at 1:30 p.m. Fresno State has won back-to-back WAC titles and will enter this years tournament as the No. 1 seed. The Bulldogs are riding a six-match winning streak in the league tournament, dating back to a loss in the championship match in 2001. They are trying to become the first league team to win more than two WAC titles in a row since BYU claimed four in a row from 1993-96. Jelena Pandzic and Lucia Tallo lead the Bulldogs. No. 15 Pandzic is 19-1 this season, while Tallo holds a 19-9 record. As a doubles team, Pandzic and Tallo are ranked No. 19 and are 17-2. The Bulldogs are without 2003 WAC Player of the Year, Chloe Carlotti, but first-team all-WAC selection, Tallo, returns to lead the Bulldogs.
Hawaii - Hawaii enters the 2004 WAC Championship with an 8-13 record, but the Rainbow Wahine have three wins against WAC schools, including UTEP, Louisiana Tech and San Jose State. The Rainbow Wahine are led by junior Lauren Fitzgerald who is 16-10 this season with a 12-9 dual match record. Senior Renata Camargo is having a good season for the Rainbow Wahine with a 14-4 record. Camargo has near-unblemished 11-1 record at the No. 6 position.
Louisiana Tech - After a slow start, Louisiana Tech won four of its final five matches. The Lady Techsters head into the tournament with a 9-11 record, but have not beaten a WAC school in four attempts this season. Louisiana Tech has four athletes with at least 10 wins this season. Junior Anabella Duque leads the way with a 13-6 record. She is a perfect 7-0 at the No. 3 position. Freshman Monica Kelly has had a great rookie campaign, ending the regular season with a 12-7 record, playing mostly in the No. 2 and No. 3 positions.
Nevada - The Wolf Pack have had a tough season this year, entering the tournament as a No. 10 seed with a 1-16 record. Nevadas last win came against Weber State, 4-3 on Jan. 31. Sophomores Kristen Davenport and Myriam Bouchlaka have the most wins for the Wolf Pack this season. Davenport is 4-20, while Bouchlaka is 4-17. The Wolf Pack will take on No. 7 Hawaii. Last season, No. 7 Nevada picked up its first win in the tournament since joining the conference in 2001 with a 4-0 defeat over No. 10 Louisiana Tech. This year the tournament will be hosted in Houston, Texas on April 29-May 2.
Rice - Host-school Rice earned the No. 4 seed in the WAC Championship this season. The Owls have an overall record of 10-11 this season. The Owls were 3-2 against WAC teams with wins against Louisiana Tech, Boise State and UTEP. Rice has played a tough schedule that included 14 ranked teams. The Owls are led by 2003 WAC Freshman of the Year, Lauren Archer, who is 20-14 this season. Second-team all-WAC selection from 2003, Blair DiSesa, also returns for the Owls this season. DiSesa leads the Owls in wins with a 23-13 record and is currently ranked No. 65. She has a 14-8 dual match record, playing primarily at the No. 1 and No. 2 positions. DiSesa and Archer were also named to the all-WAC second team last season. This year, they are 10-8 in dual matches, playing at the No. 1 spot.
San Jose State - San Jose State moved up one spot from last seasons No. 9 seeding to take the No. 8 this season. Last season, the Spartans lost 4-0 to No. 8 Hawaii. This year, San Jose State will take on No. 9 Louisiana Tech. The Spartans are 1-1 against WAC schools this season with a win over Nevada and a loss to Hawaii. Freshman Courtney Koenigsfeld is the only Spartan in double digits this season with a 10-10 record. Koenigsfeld and double partner Kathy Van are 9-6 this season, playing at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions.
SMU - SMU enters the tournament with a 15-9 overall record. The Mustangs are also 3-1 against WAC schools with wins over Louisiana Tech, Rice and UTEP. This season, SMU is the tournaments No. 2 seed and will face the winner of the Hawaii and Nevada match. Last season, the Mustangs were the No. 3 seed and fell to No. 2 Tulsa in the semifinals, 4-3. SMU returns a lot of fire power from last season, including all-WAC second-team singles selections Jenny Langer and Svetlana Kouzmenko. This season, Kouzmenko is currently ranked No. 74 with a 22-6 record. She is 17-4 from the No. 1 spot this season. Langer holds a 17-10 overall record this year, 16-8 in dual matches. The junior has wins at positions 1-3. Last years second-team all-WAC doubles team of Langer and Allison Leuszler are 9-6 this season.
UTEP - UTEP earned the tournaments No. 6 seed this year and will take on No. 3 Tulsa in the quarterfinals. Last season, the Miners were also the No. 6 seed, falling to No. 3 SMU, 4-2. UTEP is 10-11 this season, ending the regular season losing two of its final three matches to WAC schools, falling to Rice and SMU. UTEP has six athletes with at least 10 wins. Sophomore Danielle King has the most wins with a 17-11 overall record. Senior Adriana Boykova is14-16 overall this season with a 11-10 dual match record.
Tulsa - Tulsa returns to the WAC Tournament as the third seed this season. In 2003, top-seeded Fresno State defeated Tulsa, 4-2 in the championship match. The Golden Hurricane are 15-7, one of three WAC teams with at least 15 wins this season. Tulsa is the only team undefeated against WAC schools with a 2-0 record. The Golden Hurricane defeating both SMU and Rice. Tulsa is without the all-WAC first team doubles team of Alicia Pillay and Alexsandra Durska, but the Golden Hurricane will feature second team singles selection, Daniela Muscolino. The sophomore has been strong all season, sporting a 22-7 overall record and a 16-4 dual match mark. Muscolino is currently ranked No. 60. Teammate Ilona Somers is ranked No. 118.