Seniors Lucia Sainz and Katharina Winterhalter concluded a tremendous 2005-06 season as the national runners-up at the NCAA Doubles Championships at the Taube Tennis Center on the campus of Stanford University. The Bulldog duo fell in defeat to Cristelle Grier and Alexis Prousis of Northwestern, 6-4, 6-1, in the final. But Sainz and Winterhalter made history for the second time this year, becoming the first Fresno State doubles tandem to reach the NCAA doubles title match. The tandem was 39-12 overall (19-8 dual) with an outstanding record of 20-4 in tournament settings. Sainz and Winterhalter began the season by winning 10 straight in the fall, becoming the school’s first doubles tandem to reach a national when they made it to the title match of the ITA All-American. In late October, the duo topped Alice Barnes and Anne Yelsey of Stanford, ranked No. 1 in the final rankings. By beating the Stanford duo, Sainz and Winterhalter became only the second Fresno State duo to win the prestigious Northwest Regional. The senior tandem was ranked as high as No. 4 in the country and finished at No. 6.
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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.
BULLDOGS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT ? Fresno State reached the NCAA tournament for the 11th consecutive season dating back to 1996. The Bulldogs have now advanced three times to the round of 16, twice in the past three seasons. With wins over Cal and Sacramento State, and a loss to Miami, the Bulldogs are now 10-11 in NCAA tournament matches. Sainz and Winterhalter have made it to the dance in each of their four seasons.
WAC TOURNAMENT REVIEW ? 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