49ers Take On Nebraska Thursday
Beach Moves Up To No. 20 Nationally
March 15, 2006
PDF Version of Release Long Beach State Tennis (11-2 / 4-0 Big West ) (#20) | Nebraska Long Beach State
Thursday, March 16, 2 pm, Indian Wells Tennis Gardens | Kansas State at Long Beach State
Monday, March 20, 2 pm, Campus Courts | Illinois-Chicago at Long Beach State
Tuesday, March 21, 2 pm, Campus Courts |
The Records: Long Beach State, ranked No. 20 in the country, currently stands at 11-2 overall after defeating No. 56 Boston College 6-1 last week at the Campus Courts. Friday's match at UC Riverside was postponed due to inclement weather and will be made up at a later date. This week the 49ers have just one match. They take on No. 42 Nebraska on Thursday afternoon at the Indian Wells Tennis Gardens. That is the site of the Big West Conference Championships in late April. Nebraska is 9-3 on the season and will take on UC Irvine on Wednesday before facing the 49ers on Thursday.
The Coach: Head Coach Jenny Hilt-Costello (UCLA, 1994) is 127-78 (.620) in her ninth year at Long Beach State. She became the winningest women's tennis coach in school history with the 49ers 7-0 win over CS Fullerton on February 10. Hilt-Costello has led the 49ers to five consecutive appearances in the Big West Tournament Championship match, winning championships in 2002, 2004 and 2005. She was voted the 2004 Big West Coach of the Year and the ITA West Region Coach of the Year.
The Series: The 49ers are 2-3 all-time against the University of Nebraska. The last meeting came in the 2004 season, a 7-0 Long Beach State victory at the 49er Campus Courts.
Playing The Best: This year's schedule is full of nationally-ranked opponents once again. Of the 22 matches, 12 of the opponents are ranked in the current FILA/ITA Rankings. The 49ers are ranked #20 nationally.
National Ranking: The 49ers are ranked No. 20 in the nation this week, its highest ranking in school history. The 49ers began the season in the pre-season poll ranked No. 57. From there they were ranked No. 47, No. 45, No. 46, No. 35, No. 25 and No. 20 this week.
Rocha Named Player of Week: Junnior Sandra Rocha was selected last week (3/8) as the
Big West Conference Female Athlete of the Week. Rocha won both of her singles matches at the No. 4 spot and teamed with Katy Williams at No. 1 doubles to win twice. Rocha defeated UC Irvine's Jessica Broadfoot 7-5, 7-6 and then downed Pacific's Carla Tamborini, 6-2, 6-0.
Double Your Pleasure: This spring the 49ers have excelled in doubles play. The Beach is a combined 32-7 (.821) in doubles matches and have won the doubles point in 12 of its 13 spring matches. Hannah Grady and Jessica Weeks are 11-0 this year with nine wins coming at the No. 2 spot and two at No. 1 singles. Rachael Porsz and Stephanie Bengson are 11-0 at No. 3 doubles. At the No. 1 spot, Sandra Rocha and Katy Williams are 6-5 and 2-0 at the No. 2 spot.
11-Match Win Streak: The 49ers have won 11 consecutive matches this year, a mark which is tied for third-best all-time in school history. In the 2004 season the 49ers won 11 consecutive matches. The No. 1 mark is 17 straight, set in 2001 and in 2002 the 49ers won 16 consecutive.
Doubles Wins: Junior Sandra Rocha is closing in the career record for individual doubles wins. Rocha, who is 16-7 this year in doubles with Katy Williams, now stands at 59 career doubles wins, number three all-time. The record is 67 set by Kelly Chan (2001-04). Rocha has also accumulated 98 career victories (39 singles/59 doubles) to rank fifth all-time. The school record is 133 set by Havaja Frljuckic (1984-87) (70 singles wins/63 doubles wins).
Hannah Grady: Freshman Hannah Grady (Coventry, England) has had a great spring thus far competing at the No. 1 singles spot. Grady is 9-4, having won eight consecutive matches, seven in straight sets. Grady is ranked No. 69 in the nation in singles play. Grady was selected as the Big West Female Athlete of the Week on February 21 and March 1. Last week she defeated Boston College's No. 94-ranked Szilvia Szegedi 6-2, 6-0. In doubles, Grady teams with Jessica Weeks and they are a perfect 11-0 this spring. The due is ranked No. 22 in the country.
Katy Williams: Freshman Katy Williams (Stevenage, Herfordshire) has won 10 of her last 11 singles matches at the No. 2 spot, winning nine of those in straight sets. She stands at 10-3 this spring in singles and is ranked No. 120 nationally. Last week she downed Boston College's Dasha Cherkasov 6-3, 6-0. Williams teams with Sandra Rocha in doubles and they are 8-5 (6-5 at No. 1, 2-0 at No. 2) this spring.
Stephanie Bengson: The reigning Big West Freshman of the Year, Stephanie Bengson (Albion Park, NSW, Australia), is back and healthy after missing the fall due to shoulder surgery. Bengson was named the Big West Co-Athlete of the Week on February 14. She is competing at the No. 3 spot and is 10-3, having won 10 of her last 11 matches. Last week she earned a 6-4, 7-5 win over No. 73-ranked Lana Krasnopolsky of Boston College. Bengson teams up with Rachael Porsz at No. 3 doubles and they stand at 11-0 thus far this spring.
Sandra Rocha: Junior Sandra Rocha (Pomona, CA) was named the Big West Female Tennis Athlete of the Week on March 9 after recording straight sets wins against UC Irvine and Pacific. Rocha is 9-3 this springs at the No. 4 spot having won nine of her last 10 matches. Her last eight victories in singles have come in straight sets, including a 6-4, 6-3 win over Alina Sullivan of Boston College. In doubles, Rocha and Katy Williams are 8-5 this spring (6-5 at No. 1, 2-0 at No. 2), having won four consecutive matches. Early this spring they picked up a win over No. 22-ranked Kosakowski/Asimgil of Pepperdine, 8-5.
Rachel Porsz: Junior Rachael Porsz (St. Ives, Cambridgeshire, England) is 9-3 this spring in singles play (3-0 at No. 5, 6-3 at No. 6). She has won eight of her last 10 singles matches. Porsz competed at the No. 6 singles spot in the opener at USC and won her match 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 over Whitney Peterson. Porsz is teamed with Stephanie Bengson at the No. 3 doubles spot and that duo is an impressive 11-0 thus far.
Jessica Weeks: Freshman Jessica Weeks (Beckenham, Kent, England) is competing at the No. 5 spot in singles play and is 9-2 thus far in the spring. She has won nine consecutive matches, seven in straight sets. Last week she beat Boston College's Gia Nafarrete 6-0, 6-2. In doubles, Weeks teams with Hannah Grady and that duo is 11-0 (2-0 at No. 1, 9-0 at No. 2). They are ranked No. 22 in the nation in doubles.
2006 Roster
2006 Schedule/Results
2006 Statistics |
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