Long Beach State and Cal Poly saw their seasons come to a close in the first round of the 2011 Division I NCAA Women's Tennis Championships, as the 49ers lost to Pepperdine and the Mustangs fell to Oklahoma on Saturday.
Courtesy of Long Beach State Athletics
Tough Battle Slips Away In 4-2 Loss At NCAA Tournament For Women's Tennis
No. 36 Long Beach State and No. 27 Pepperdine matched up for another very close match in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but Pepperdine held off the 49ers to take a 4-2 win in a match that saw four singles matches go to three sets.
The 49ers struggled in doubles, facing two ranked pairs from the Waves. No. 65 Bhargava/Zalameda led Armstrong/Dallara at No. 1 doubles, but an injury forced Maria Zalameda to retire, giving Long Beach State the first match. Pepperdine still won the point, however, as Colffer/Waters defeated Cantlay/Luzar 8-3, while No. 53 Granillo/Issara.
In singles, Anais Dallara took care of business at No. 1 singles, dominating Arianna Colffer in a 6-1, 6-1 win, but the Waves regained the lead with a second point as Kunpak Issara defeated Jaklin Alawi 6-4, 6-1.
All four of the other matches went to three sets as the teams matched up extremely well. Deborah Armstrong beat #122 Anamika Bhargava in the first set of her match at No. 2 singles, 6-2, but fell in the second set and lost 6-4 in the third as Pepperdine took a 3-1 lead in the match.
The 49ers pulled back a point at No. 5 as Sarah Cantlay reversed that result. After falling 6-3 in the first set to Megan Moore, the sophomore rallied to win set two 6-1 and won the match 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
At No. 6 singles, Anna Jeczmionka, reinserted into the lineup for the injured Klaudia Malenovska, defeated former Waves' No. 1 player Ali Walters 6-4 in the first set, but lost the next two as Pepperdine won that match and clinched the dual with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory.
Rachel Manasse led the sixth singles match by a score of 6-4, 2-6, 6-5 over Ale Granillo at No. 3 singles when the dual was concluded. She had previously had a match point at 5-4 in the final set that would have been Long Beach State's third point, and was serving for the match.
DOUBLES
Armstrong/Dallara, LBSU def. #65 Bhargava/Zalameda, PEPP, WD
#53 Granillo/Issara, PEPP def. Alawi/Manasse, LBSU 8-3
Colffer/Walters, PEPP def. Cantlay/Luzar, LBSU 8-3
SINGLES
Anais Dallara, LBSU def. Arianna Colffer, PEPP 6-1, 6-1
#122 Anamika Bhargava, PEPP def. Deborah Armstrong, LBSU 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
Rachel Manasse, LBSU vs. Ale Granillo, PEPP, DNF
Khunpak Issara, PEPP def. Jaklin Alawi, LBSU 6-4, 6-1
Sarah Cantlay, LBSU def. Megan Moore, PEPP 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
Ali Walters, PEPP def. Anna Jeczmionka, LBSU 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
Courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics
No. 38 Mustangs Swept in Opening Round of NCAA Championships
The No. 38 Cal Poly womens tennis programs return to the NCAA Championships after an eight-year absence failed to produce a highlight result as the Mustangs were swept during the opening round on Saturday morning by 24th-ranked Oklahoma in a four-team regional hosted by fifth-seeded Baylor at the Baylor Tennis Center.
Oklahoma (19-6), which advanced to face seventh-ranked Baylor (26-3) during Sundays second round, opened the match by sweeping the doubles point from Cal Poly (16-7). At No. 2, Mustang senior Ashley Pane (above) and junior Jocelyn Davis were bested by Ana Maria Constantinescu and Mia Lancaster, 8-5. Cal Polys freshman tandem of Florence Lehane and Gabrielle Gatewood then fell by the same score at No. 3 versus Tara Eckel and Marie Pier Huet. With the doubles point conceded, the No. 1 match between Cal Poly senior Amy Markhoff and sophomore Alexa Lee and Oklahomas Alica Radu and Whitney Ritchie was abandoned.
Cal Poly, whose only previous NCAA Championships appearance was a 4-0 loss against Georgia Tech in 2003, dropped all three singles matches that were played to completion. At No. 2, Pane fell versus Radu, 6-2, 6-1, before Mustang freshman Jen Cornea fell by the same scoreline at No. 4 against Ritchie. Oklahomas Maria Kalashnikova then allowed the Sooners to prevail by whitewashing Markhoff at No. 6, 6-1, 6-0. Lees match at No. 1, Lehanes contest at No. 3 and Daviss affair at No. 5 were each abandoned.
We came out and played a solid doubles point, but Oklahoma has proven to be one of the top doubles teams in the nation. I thought we competed well in singles, but credit to Oklahoma: they were the better team today, said 11th-year head coach Hugh Bream, who finishes his Mustang managerial career with a 133-89 dual mark. I thought this team gained valuable experience with having four freshmen in the lineup and a sophomore playing at the No. 1 singles position. Our number of victories (seven) versus ranked teams is also a tremendous achievement for the program. We experienced the goal of reaching the NCAA Championships and that bodes well for the continued improvement of the program.
Despite Saturdays defeat, Cal Polys 2011 campaign ranks as, arguably, the finest during the programs Division I history. The Mustangs, who won nine-consecutive matches between Feb. 20 and April 2 to reach as high as No. 36 in the Campbells Intercollegiate Tennis Rankings, finished 7-6 against ranked opposition. Behind a program-record seven Big West victories, Cal Poly finished second in the conference standings for a second-successive season.
The Mustangs are expected to return seven letterwinners from their 2011 spring squad.
No. 24 Oklahoma 4, No. 38 Cal Poly 0
NCAA Championships First Round
Baylor Tennis Center (Waco, Texas)
May 14, 2011
Singles
1. Ana Maria Constantinescu (OU) vs. Alexa Lee (CP), DNF
2. Alica Radu (OU) def. Ashley Pane (CP), 6-2, 6-1
3. Marie Pier Huet (OU) vs. Florence Lehane (CP), DNF
4. Whitney Ritchie (OU) def. Jen Cornea (CP), 6-2, 6-1
5. Mia Lancaster (OU) vs. Jocelyn Davis (CP), DNF
6. Maria Kalashnikova (OU) def. Amy Markhoff (CP), 6-1, 6-0
Order of Finish: 2, 4, 6
Doubles
1. Radu/Ritchie (OU) vs. Lee/Markhoff (CP), DNF
2. Constantinescu/Lancaster (OU) def. Pane/Davis (CP), 8-5
3. Eckel/Pier Huet (OU) def. Lehane/Gatewood (CP), 8-5
Order of Finish: 3, 2