With several teams already in action and several others set to compete in the coming weeks, WAC women's fall tennis is officially in full swing.
NEVADA’S MIZYUK MAKES HISTORY AT ALL-AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS ? Nevada sophomore Maria Mizyuk recorded a first in Wolf Pack program history on Sept. 30, winning her pre-qualifying draw and advancing to the qualifying founds of the 23rd Annual Riviera All-American Championships. Mizyuk topped Denver’s Ute Schnoy, 6-0, 5-7, 6-1, to advance in the tournament at Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Mizyuk is now just one victory away from reaching the main draw at the prestigious Riviera ITA All-American Championships. Ranked No. 103 in the nation, Mizyuk defeated No. 35 Samantha Murray of Northwestern in a grueling three-set match on Tuesday, Oct. 2. She then advanced to the finals round match of the qualifying draw after No. 81 Ashley Joelson of UCLA retired after Mizyuk took the first set of their match.
Mizyuk is set to play Wednesday, Oct. 3 against either Anastasia Revzina of Florida or Lenka Broosova of Baylor. Broosova is ranked 54th in the country while Revzina is 74th.
SEVERAL SPARTANS SHINE AT BULLDOG CLASSIC ? Two San Jose State Spartans came away with wins in the consolation bracket during their final day at the Fresno State Bulldog Classic on Sept. 22. Senior Dana Popescu beat Santa Clara’s Courtney Hull, 6-1, 6-0, and junior Amber Silverstone defeated Fresno State’s Elizabeth McFeeters, 6-4, 6-4.
BRONCOS STRONG AT COUGAR CLASSIC AND BYU INVITATIONAL ? In its first action of the fall season, Boise State’s Bianca Jochimsen and Laura Baum captured the doubles title at Washington State’s Cougar Classic in Pullman, Wash. The Bronco tandem teamed up to defeat Washington State’s Burduli and Kamendova 8-3 in the championship match on Sept. 30. Meanwhile, junior Klaudia Wlodarczyk won the consolation singles championship going 4-1 overall at the BYU Invitational in Provo, Utah. After struggling in her first round matchup, Wlodarczyk rebounded with four consecutive victories, topping BYU’s Dolly Chang to claim the consolation title. In all, five Bronco veterans competed last weekend representing Boise State in the two regional tournaments.
NEW MEXICO STATE’S COSTA AND DISCORDIA WIN DOUBLES AT MINER FALL INVITATIONAL IN EL PASO ? Sophomore Aleska Costa and freshman Bianca Discorida battled Monterrey Tech’s (Mexico) Canepa and Bravo in the Flight Two doubles championship at the Minter Fall Invitational in El Paso, where the Aggies’ talented young duo came out on top in a tiebreaker, 9-8 to claim the title. In the third place match in the top singles flights, senior Anne Fagegaltier defeated Arizona’s Jane Huh, after falling in the first set 6-0, but came back and won the second, 6-2, and eventually pulled out the tiebreaker to win the set 10-2 to take the match.
IDAHO’S IRIMESCU SECURES CONSOLATION TITLE AT GONZAGA/EASTERN WASHINGTON INVITATIONAL ? Silvia Irimescu was one of only two Vandals to escape the first round of the Gonzaga/Eastern Washington Invitational with a victory, as she defeated Clare Dodge of Gonzaga. After dropping a close three-set match to Gonzaga’s Rika Mehndiratta, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, Irimescu never looked back as she won two straight matches to advance to the main draw consolation singles final. Irimescu faced Carrie Schofield of Gonzaga in the finals and took the Bulldog down in three sets, 3-6, 7-5, 1-0(8).
PLAYER OF THE MONTH ? Fresno State’s Anastasia Petukhova has been named the Western Athletic Conference Tennis Player of the Month for September. This is the first Tennis Player of the Month honor for the 2007 Fall season.
Petukhova, a sophomore from Moscow, Russia (A.M. Gorky), performed brilliantly during the Bulldog Classic at the Wathen Tennis Center Sept. 21-23 in Fresno. She captured the singles title, defeating Fresno Pacific’s Anna Karavayeva 6-3, 6-1 in the championship match, tallying her 20th-straight match won dating back to last season, all of which have come in straight sets. Only three times has an opponent been able to win more than three games in a set against Petukhova during that streak. Petukhova also reached the finals of the Bulldog Classic doubles draw, partnering up with teammate Renata Kucerkova.
Other women’s tennis nominees included: Bianca Jochimsen of Boise State advanced to the singles championship at the Cougar Classic in Pullman, Wash., before falling to Washington State’s Ekaterina Burduli, and also teamed up with Laura Baum to win the doubles championship over Burduli/Kamendova of Washington State ... Maria Mizyuk of Nevada went 6-1 in singles play and undefeated in doubles play in September, reaching the semifinals in the Bulldog Classic in Fresno and winning three matches at the Riviera All-American Championships in Pacific Palisades, Calif., to become the first Wolf Pack player to qualify for the Qualifying Rounds of the event, beginning this week ... Hailey Swenson of Utah State finished 2-2 at the Utah Fall Classic in Provo, earning a spot in the consolation singles semifinals before falling to Colorado State’s Greer Satherlie.
WAC TOURNAMENT TO BE HELD IN LAS CRUCES ? This season, the Western Athletic Conference Tournament will return to Las Cruces, New Mexico on the campus of New Mexico State, April 24-27. The 2007 champion, Fresno State, will look to win its seventh-straight title. Last season, Fresno State took the title at the Appleton Tennis Center in Boise, defeating second-seeded Boise State, 4-0.