The 23rd-ranked Fresno State women?™s tennis team will battle seventh-ranked Miami in Palo Alto, Calif., NCAA round of 16. The Bulldogs and Hurricanes will play at noon in the Taube Tennis Center on Thursday, May 18. It will be the first ever meeting between the two programs. The Bulldogs enter the week with a record of 20-6 and a 12-match winning streak, while Miami owns a 21-6 mark. Of the unseeded teams in the tournament, only Fresno State, Kentucky and UCLA advanced.
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FRESNO STATE FACES UPSETS CALIFORNIA IN SECOND ROUND ?“ The Bulldogs upset seventh-ranked Cal 4-3 during a thriller at the Hellman Tennis Center on May 13. It was the third consecutive time the Bulldogs had beaten the Golden Bears on their home court. Freshman Tinesta Rowe won in the third set to clinch the victory for Fresno State, vaulting the Bulldogs to their second sweet sixteen appearance in three seasons. Despite seventh-ranked doubles combo of Lucia Sainz and Katharina Winterhalter losing, the Bulldogs still won the doubles point behind outstanding play from Rowe and freshman Magdalena Tokarska. Freshman Melanie Gloria and sophomore Jacqueline Haskett improved 19-1 as a doubles duo, clinching the doubles point with a dominating 8-2 win on court two. Gloria was outstanding in singles once again, defeating third-ranked Zsuzsanna Fodor in 50 minutes (6-1, 6-2). Winterhalter also stepped up to win the biggest match of her career, a straight sets win over No. 27 Suzi Babos.
FRESNO STATE?™S GLORA AND WINTERHALTER QUALIFY FOR NCAA TOURNAMENT ?“ Freshman Melanie Gloria automatically qualified for the NCAA singles tournament as the Western Athletic Conference?™s top singles player. Sainz and Winterhalter will play in the doubles tournament, qualifying as the WAC?™s top doubles tandem.
WAC TOURNAMENT REVIEW ?“ In another tightly contested battle, top-seeded Boise State defeated second-seeded Fresno State, 4-3. Thomas Schoeck defeated Sergui Modoc 6-7 (2), 6-2, 7-6 (4) for the clincher. This is the Broncos second-straight WAC title. Fresno State?™s Jakub Cech was named WAC Player of the Year, while Boise State?™s Greg Patton earned his second-straight WAC Coach of the Year honor.
The top-seeded Fresno State women?™s tennis team captured its fifth-straight WAC Tennis Championship with an intense, 4-3, win over host and second-seed, Boise State. The Broncos were playing in their first WAC Championship title match. Katharina Winterhalter defeated Tatiana Ganzha, 7-5, 6-4 to clinch the match. Fresno State?™s Melanie Gloria earned WAC Freshman and WAC Player of the Year. Bulldog head coach Simon Thibodeau was named WAC Coach of the Year.
The last time that the final was the same for both the men and the women was in 2001. In that season, TCU defeated Fresno State in both the men?™s and women?™s finals.
2006 All-WAC Women?™s Tennis Team
First-Team Singles Caroline Bailly, Nevada
Megan Biorkman, Boise State
Melanie Gloria, Fresno State
Lucia Sainz, Fresno State
Hadley MacFarlane, Boise State
Katharina Winterhalter, Fresno State
Second-Team Singles
Courtney Anderson, Utah State
Myriam Bouchlaka, Nevada
Tatiana Ganzha, Boise State
Isabelle Mignot, New Mexico State
Magdalena Tokarska, Fresno State
Ashley Tavita, San Jose State
First-Team Doubles Katharina Winterhalter/Lucia Sainz, Fresno State
Melanie Gloria/Jacqueline Haskett, Fresno State
Megan Biorkman/Hadley MacFarlane, Boise State
Second-Team Doubles Caroline Bailly/Kristen Davenport, Nevada
Amber Silverstone/Ashley Tavita, San Jose State
Edine van Beusekom/Isabelle Mignot, New Mexico State
WAC Coach of the Year: Simon Thibodeau, Fresno State
WAC Freshman of the Year: Melanie Gloria, Fresno State
WAC Player of the Year: Melanie Gloria, Fresno State