Freshman Melanie Gloria and seniors Lucia Sainz and Katharina Winterhalter begin the NCAA singles and doubles tournament this week at the Taube Tennis Center on the campus of Stanford University. Sainz and Winterhalter are scheduled to begin the doubles tournament on Thursday, May 25.
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Gloria will play in the first round on Wednesday, May 24, against Klara Jagasova of UT Arlington. A native of Montreal, Canada, Gloria is one of the top singles players in the country. She went 20-5 during the dual match season, was named the WAC Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year and led the Bulldogs to an appearance in the NCAA sweet sixteen.
Last week, Gloria was named the ITA Northwest Region Rookie Player of the Year, making her a finalist for the ITA National Rookie of the Year. She defeated then-No. 4 Alice Barnes of Stanford in her very first match as a member of the Fresno State women?™s tennis team. In the NCAA second round, Gloria convincingly defeat third-ranked Zsuzsanna Fodor of Cal in straight sets.
Sainz and Winterhalter have had a tremendous year as a doubles tandem. The eighth-seeded duo will take on Kristen James and Lori Stern of Virginia in the fall. During the fall, the senior duo won the ITA Northwest Region, defeating top-ranked Alice Barnes and Anne Yelsey. They also made it to the final of the ITA All-American, losing to the Thompson twins of Notre Dame.
During the dual match season, Sainz and Winterhalter have compiled a record of 19-8 with an overall mark of 35-11. They led the Bulldogs to their fifth straight WAC title this season and will conclude their careers with more than 100 doubles victories a piece.
FRESNO STATE LOSES MIAMI IN SWEET 16 ?“ The 23rd-ranked Fresno State women?™s tennis team was defeated by seventh-ranked Miami 4-1 in the NCAA round of 16 at the Taube Tennis Center on the campus of Stanford University. Despite losing the doubles point, the Bulldogs battled a tough Miami team during Fresno State?™s third appearance in the sweet sixteen. Senior Katharina Winterhalter won in No. 2 singles to notch the Bulldogs only point, defeating No. 77 Melissa Applebaum in straight sets.
BOISE STATE?™S TICHENOR EARNS COACH OF THE YEAR HONORS ?“ Boise State?™s Mark Tichenor was named the Women?™s ITA Central Region Coach of the Year. Tichenor coached the Broncos to a top 75 ranking all season and a final record of 22-4. The Broncos took second in the league behind top-seeded and 23rd ranked Fresno State.
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