The 15th-seeded Golden Bears prove to be too much for the Bulldogs, who drop a 4-1 decision to end their season.
May 11, 2002
FRESNO, Calif. -
California used strong singles and doubles play to breeze past Fresno State 4-1 and advance to the Round of 16 in the NCAA Women's Tennis Tournament in Berkeley, Calif. The loss ends the Bulldogs' season with a record of 17-6.
The Golden Bears, seeded 15th in the tournament, jumped out to a 1-0 lead by winning at Nos. 1 and 3 doubles. At No. 1, the 22nd-ranked duo of Raquel Kops-Jones and Christina Fusano defeated No. 10 Kim Niggemeyer and Simone Jardim 8-4. It improved the Cal tandem's record to 6-0 since they started playing together prior to last week's Pac-10 Doubles Championships, which Kops-Jones and Fusano won.
The doubles point was clinched at No. 3 when Carla Arguelles and Nicole Havlicek took out Fresno State's Chantel Wiggins and Courtney Jantz 8-6.
Up 1-0, the Bears went to work in singles, getting a quick victory from No. 22-ranked Kops-Jones. The Fresno native dispatched 43rd-ranked Kim Niggemeyer 6-3, 6-3, making the score 2-0. Soon after, California made it 3-0 when Havlicek defeated Wiggins 6-4, 6-3 at No. 5.
Fresno State picked up its only victory of the afternoon at No. 3 singles, where Jardim pulled out a 7-6 (2), 6-2 win over Jieun Jacobs. But the Golden Bears were able to clinch it at No. 2, where No. 52 Fusano came from behind to defeat the 41st-ranked Carlotti 0-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Although the Bulldogs season is over as a team, three individuals will still participate in the NCAA Individual Tournament, which begins May 20. Niggemeyer and Carlotti will both play in the singles tournament while Niggemeyer and Jardim will participate in doubles.
No. 15 California (14-9) 4, Fresno State (17-6) 1
Doubles (California wins point)
1) (22) Kops-Jones/Fusano (Cal) def. (10) Niggemeyer/Jardim (FS), 8-4
2) Jacobs/Scheldt (Cal) vs. Tallo/Carlotti (FS), Abandoned
3) Arguelles/Havlicek (Cal) def. Wiggins/Jantz (FS), 8-6
Singles
1) (22) Raquel Kops-Jones (Cal) def. (42) Kim Niggemeyer (FS), 6-3, 6-3
2) (52) Christina Fusano (Cal) def. (41) Chloe Carlotti (FS), 0-6, 6-2, 6-4
3) Simone Jardim (FS) def. (65) Jieun Jacobs (Cal), 7-6(5), 6-2
4) Jody Scheldt (Cal) vs. Luciana Tallo (FS), Abandoned
5) Nicole Havlicek (Cal) def. Chantel Wiggins (FS), 6-4, 6-3
6) Kristen Case (Cal) vs. Eva Grusiecka (FS), Abandoned
Numbers in parentheses indicate national ranking
