No. 23 Fresno State Beats Sacramento State, Advances To NCAA Second Round
Sophomore Jacqueline Haskett clinched the victory for the Bulldogs.
May 12, 2006
BERKELEY, Calif. -
The 23rd-ranked Fresno State women's tennis team opened the 2006 NCAA tournament with a convincing 4-1 victory over Sacramento State, Friday afternoon at the Hellman Tennis Center on the campus of Cal. Despite losing the doubles point, the Bulldogs kept their composure in singles to advance to Saturday's second round. Fresno State improved to 19-6 on the year while Sacramento State fell to 14-9.
"I felt confident even though we lost the doubles point," said head coach Simon Thibodeau. "We really came together in singles and now we need to concentrate on Cal. We played well on all six courts today, so I know the ladies have confidence."
Senior Lucia Sainz got singles started with a win, defeating Joyce Martinez Gutierrez 6-4, 6-1. Senior Katharina Winterhalter recorded her 102nd career singles win, tying Liesl Fichtbauer for second in school history. Winterhalter won the first set 6-3 before falling behind 5-3 in the second set. But the first-team all-WAC selection rallied to win four straight games and close out the match in straight sets.
Freshman Magdalena Torkarska was the third to finish, defeating Karina Jarlkaganova in straight sets. Then sophomore Jacqueline Haskett clinched Fresno State's victory with a dominating performance on court five, beating Cecilia Helland 6-2, 6-2.
Sacramento State took the early lead after winning the doubles point. Freshman Melanie Gloria and Haskett won their doubles match 8-0, improving to 18-1 during the dual match season. But the Hornets won on court two before Margarita Karnauhkova and Anastassia Lyssenko edged Sainz and Winterhalter 9-8 (6). The last time Fresno State lost the doubles point, it eventually lost 4-3 to Harvard. But on this occasion, the Bulldogs pulled through for the victory.
The Bulldogs have won 11 straight and will run into a tough Cal team on Friday at Noon in the Hellman Tennis Center. Sainz has won eight straight in singles, while Haskett won her fourth in a row. Gloria and Haskett have not lost in doubles since March 2 at Baylor.
NCAA Women's Tennis
NCAA First Round
Berkeley, Calif.
May 12, 2006
No. 23 Fresno State def. Sacramento State, 4-1
Doubles (Sacramento State wins doubles point)
1) Karnauhkova/Lyssenko (SAC) def. No. 7 Sainz/Winterhalter (FS), 9-8 (6)
2) Gutierrez/Shifris (SAC) def. Rowe/Tokarska (FS), 8-3
3) Gloria/Haskett (FS) def. Helland/Jarlkaganova (SAC), 8-0
Order of completion: 3, 2, 1
Singles
1) Melanie Gloria (FS) v. Margarita Karnauhkova (SAC), DNF
2) Katharina Winterhalter (FS) def. Luba Schifris (SAC), 6-3, 7-5
3) Lucia Sainz (FS) def. Joyce Martinez Gutierrez (SAC), 6-4, 6-1
4) Magdalena Tokarska (FS) def. Karina Jarlkaganova (SAC), 6-3, 6-2
5) Jacqueline Haskett (FS) def. Cecilia Helland (SAC), 6-2, 6-2
6) Bruna Paes (FS) v. Anastasia Lyssenko (SAC), DNF
Order of completion: 3, 2, 4, 5
Records: Fresno State (19-6); Sacramento State (14-9)
