FRESNO, Calif. The No. 16 Fresno State women's tennis team (20-7) didn't have to wait long Tuesday afternoon at the Josephine Theater to hear its pairing in the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs were announced in the first bracket as the No. 16 seed, earning the right to host the first and second rounds. Fresno State will take on Lamar in the opening round on Friday, May 9 at 1 p.m. Arizona State and Sacramento State will also play in the four-team regional at 10 a.m. on Friday with the winner of both matches advancing to the regional championship on Saturday, May 10 at 1 p.m.

"We are very excited to be hosting a Regional," said head coach Simon Thibodeau. "To play Lamar in the first round is a good matchup, then to possibly play a PAC-10 school in Arizona State at our complex is great."

"It's great for the second year in a row to play at home, to be in the top 16, play in front of our crowd and on the courts we play on everyday," said Melanie Gloria.

The Bulldogs clinched their seventh-straight WAC Championship last week earning the automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. This will be the 13th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance for the Bulldogs and they have reached the Sweet 16 three out of the past four seasons.

Individually, Gloria is the three-time defending WAC Player of the Year and ranked No. 16 in singles. Gloria and her doubles partner, Tinesta Rowe are ranked second in the country.

Renata Kucerkova and Anastasia Petukhova are ranked No. 33 in doubles for Fresno State.

"I think the most important thing right now is to play well at this time of the season and we peaked at the WAC Tournament," said Thibodeau.

"We are playing better right now and winning the WAC gave us a lot of confidence," added Gloria.

Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas earned the automatic berth to the tournament after winning the Southland Conference Title last week over Southeastern Louisiana, 4-2. They are 22-2 on the year. The Bulldogs and the Lady Cardinals have never met in the history of the two programs.

No. 21 Arizona State is 14-7 on the season. The Sun Devils have been in the ITA polls all season, with a season-high ranking of No. 12 on March 30. They have two singles players ranked in the top 30, sophomore Nadia Abdala (No. 23) and freshman Kelcy McKenna (No. 26). Fresno State is 0-2 against the Sun Devils, falling 4-3 in 2007 and 4-2 in 2003.

"Arizona State is ranked No. 21, but they beat UCLA and played a tough Pac-10 schedule," added Thibodeau. "They are young but very competitive."

Sacramento State (21-6) also won its seventh-straight conference title last week in the Big Sky Conference, defeating Northern Arizona 4-0 and earning the automatic berth. The Bulldogs are 7-2 all-time vs. the Hornets, winning the last three matches, including a 5-2 victory last year.

Tickets for the NCAA Regional will be $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for seniors, youth and students. Tickets are sold the day of the event at the main entrance of the venue and will not be available for presale.

"Playing at home is like having a seventh player there supporting us," said Thibodeau. "We just need to fill the stadium and get the crowd pumped because it will be a fun regional to watch."