BOISE STATE TO COMPETE IN NCAA TOURNAMENT
No. 47 Boise State will head to South Bend, Ind., for the first round of the NCAA Tournament where it will face No. 21 Iowa on Friday, May 14. The Broncos (22-5) earned the WAC’s automatic bid to the tournament after capturing their first-ever WAC Tournament. The other two teams at that site are No. 5 Notre Dame and IPFW.
The 2010 Division I NCAA Tennis Championship first and second rounds will be held May 14-15 at 16 various sites. The championship finals will be held May 20-25 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga., hosted by the University of Georgia.
THREE WAC PLAYERS TO COMPETE IN NCAA INDIVIDUALS
The WAC had two singles players and one doubles team selected to compete in the NCAA Individual Championships. In singles, Fresno State’s Anastasia Petukhova, who is currently ranked 14th nationally, was the WAC’s automatic qualifier and is seeded 15th overall. Boise State’s Pichittra Thongdach, No. 49 in the nation, was also selected. In doubles, the Broncos’ Thongdach and Lauren Megale, who are currently ranked No. 45, received the WAC’s automatic qualifier.
BOISE STATE CLAIMS WAC TOURNAMENT TITLE
Boise State captured its first WAC Tournament title with a dramatic 4-3 win over host Fresno State in the championship dual. The No. 1-seed Broncos fought back from near defeat to win the final two singles matches of the day in three sets, clinching the first WAC tournament title in program history. Boise State found itself behind early after dropping the doubles point. Fresno State extended its lead to 2-0 with a win in the No. 4 singles match. Elyse Edwards scored Boise State’s first point with a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 5. A Bulldog win at No. 2 singles put the Broncos dangerously close to defeat, though, making a monumental comeback needed in order to make history. Marlena Pietzuch earned a win at No. 6 singles to narrow the team score to 3-2. WAC Player of the Year Pichittra Thongdach then earned a 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 third-set win at No. 1. With the dual tied 3-3, Bianca Jochimsen won the second set of her match against Laura Pola. Jochimsen jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the third, but couldn’t hold off Pola as she rallied to tie the set at 4-4. Jochimsen won the next two games to finish off the 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 win.
WAC All-Tournament Team
Doubles
Julia Gragera-Cano/Anastasia Petukhova, Fresno State
Stephanie Jasper/Marlena Pietzuch, Boise State
Renata Kucerkova/Laura Pola, Fresno State
Singles
Bianca Jochimsen, Boise State
Renata Kucerkova, Fresno State
Maria Mizyuk, Nevada
Gabriela Niculescu, Idaho
Anastasia Petukhova, Fresno State
Pichittra Thongdach, Boise State
WAC AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED
The WAC 2010 women’s tennis award winners, as selected by the league’s head coaches, were announced at the WAC Tennis Tournament banquet. Boise State’s Pichittra Thongdach was named WAC Player of the Year, while Emma Verberne of Nevada was selected as Freshman of the Year. Boise State head coach Mark Tichenor earned Coach of the Year honors.
Thongdach, posted a 28-13 overall record on the year at No. 1 singles. She was 5-2 in WAC play and is 5-7 vs. ranked opponents this year. She also teamed with Lauren Megale at No. 1 doubles to post a 29-9 record. The pair are currently ranked No. 45 nationally. Pichittra has spent the entire season ranked in the top 60 in both singles and doubles, reaching as high as No. 27 in singles and No. 23 in doubles.
Verberne went 19-10 on the year, including a 6-2 mark in WAC play, primarily at No. 2 singles. She was named WAC Player of the Week on Jan. 19 after helping Nevada pick up a 4-3 WAC win over Hawai’i with a straight-sets win at No. 3 singles.
Tichenor led the Broncos to a 20-5 mark this season, including a perfect 8-0 record in WAC play. Boise State is the top seed in this week’s WAC Tournament. This is the first time he has earned WAC Coach of the Year honors in his 11 years with the program.
2010 WAC Women’s Tennis Award Winners
First Team All-WAC Singles
Renata Kucerkova, Fresno State
Lauren Megale, Boise State
Maria Mizyuk, Nevada
Gabriela Niculescu, Idaho
Anastasia Petukhova, Fresno State
Pichittra Thongdach, Boise State
First Team All-WAC Doubles
Sophie Kobuch/Katarina Poljakova, Hawai’i
Lauren Megale/Pichittra Thongdach, Boise State
Gabriela Niculescu/Maria Perevoshchikova, Idaho
Second Team All-WAC Singles
Bianca Jochimsen, Boise State
Sophie Kobuch, Hawai’i
Sophia Marks, New Mexico State
Maria Perevoshchikova, Idaho
Vivian ten Dolle, Louisiana Tech
Emma Verberne, Nevada
Second Team All-WAC Doubles
Sophia Marks/Manon Sylvain, New Mexico State
Maria Mizyuk/Sophie Stevens, Nevada
Laura Pola/Renata Kucerkova, Fresno State
WAC Player of the Year: Pichittra Thongdach, Boise State
WAC Freshman of the Year: Emma Verberne, Nevada
WAC Coach of the Year: Mark Tichenor, Boise State
WAC IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
In the May 3 ITA team rankings, Boise State is the WAC’s lone ranked team at No. 47.
In singles, Fresno State’s Anastasia Petukhova came in at No. 14 in the May 3 ITA individual rankings, while Boise State’s Pichittra Thongdach is No. 49, Idaho’s Gabriela Niculescu is No. 89, Fresno State’s Renata Kucerkova is No. 90 and Nevada’s Maria Mizyuk is No. 105.
In doubles, Boise State’s Lauren Megale and Thongdach are ranked No. 45, while Fresno State’s Laura Pola and Kucerkova are No. 68.