49ers Hit The Central Coast For Two
Beach Looking For Big West Title
April 11, 2006
PDF Version of Release Long Beach State Tennis (15-4 / 4-0 Big West ) (#28) | Long Beach State at Cal Poly
Friday, April 14, 1:30 pm, San Luis Obispo, CA | Long Beach State at UC Santa Barbara
Saturday, April 15, 12 pm, Santa Barbara, CA |
The Records: Long Beach State, currently ranked No. 28 nationally, will face two tough road matches this week. The 49ers are 15-4 overall and a perfect 4-0 in Big West competition. Friday the 49ers play at No. 69 Cal Poly and Saturday the Beach tangles with No. 60 UCSB. Cal Poly is 11-8 overall and 5-1 in the Big West while UCSB is 13-7 overall and 6-1 in league play. The regular season winner receives the No. 1 seed at the Big West Championships and receives the championship points in the Big West Commissioner's Cup race.
The Coach: Head Coach Jenny Hilt-Costello (UCLA, 1994) is 131-80 (.621) 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 lead their series with Cal Poly by a 10-8-1 count. Last year the 49ers defeated Cal Poly 5-2 at home. The 49ers have won the last two meetings with the Mustangs. Long Beach leads in its series with UCSB by a 12-10 count. Last year the 49ers defeated UCSB 4-0 in the Big West Tournament semifinals and lost to the Gauchos 4-3 during the regular season.
Playing The Best: This year's schedule is full of nationally-ranked opponents once again. Of the 22 matches, 13 of the opponents are ranked in the current FILA/ITA Rankings. The 49ers are currently 8-4 vs. ranked teams and still have matches remining against No. 60 UCSB and No. 69 Cal Poly. The 49ers are ranked #28 nationally.
National Ranking: The 49ers are ranked No. 28 in the nation this week. 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, No. 20, No. 18, No. 20, No. 23 and No. 28 this week.
Double Your Pleasure: This spring the 49ers have excelled in doubles play. The Beach is a combined 44-13 (.772) in doubles matches and have won the doubles point in 16 of its 19 spring matches. Hannah Grady and Jessica Weeks are 14-1 this year with 12 wins coming at the No. 2 spot and two at No. 1 singles. Rachael Porsz and Stephanie Bengson are 15-2 at No. 3 doubles. At the No. 1 spot, Sandra Rocha and Katy Williams are 8-8 and 3-0 at the No. 2 spot. Grady and Weeks are ranked #30 nationally.
Doubles Wins: Junior Sandra Rocha is closing in the career record for individual doubles wins. Rocha, who is 19-10 this year in doubles with Katy Williams, now stands at 62 career doubles wins, number three all-time. The record is 67 set by Kelly Chan (2001-04). Rocha has also accumulated 106 career victories (44 singles/62 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 12-5 and won 11 consecutive matches before falling to a nationally-ranked player in her last outing at Fresno State. Grady is ranked No. 69 in the nation in singles play. Grady has been selected as the Big West Female Athlete of the Week on February 21, March 1 and March 29. She has five wins this spring over nationally-ranked opponents. In doubles, Grady teams with Jessica Weeks and they are 14-1 this spring. The duo is ranked No. 30 in the country.
Katy Williams: Freshman Katy Williams (Stevenage, Herfordshire) played at No. 1 singles in the two matches last week and split those matches. She defeated UC Davis' Ally Muller 6-2, 6-0 and lost to FIU's No. 85-ranked Paula Zabala 6-4, 4-6, 3-6. Williams is 13-6 this spring, including a 12-5 mark at No. 2 singles. Williams teams with Sandra Rocha in doubles and they are 11-8 (8-8 at No. 1, 3-0 at No. 2) this spring.
Stephanie Bengson: The reigning Big West Freshman of the Year, Stephanie Bengson (Albion Park, NSW, Australia), competes at No. 3 singles and is 12-7 this spring. Bengson was named the Big West Co-Athlete of the Week on February 14. On March 7 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 15-2 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 14-4 this spring at the No. 4 spot having won 14 of her last 16 matches. Last week she defeated FIU's Shilla D'Armas 7-5, 6-1 and UC Davis' Jenna Kappel 6-2, 6-0. Twelve of her victories this spring have come in straight sets. In doubles, Rocha and Katy Williams are 11-8 this spring (8-8 at No. 1, 3-0 at No. 2). Earlier 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 13-5 this spring in singles play (4-1 at No. 5, 9-4 at No. 6). Porsz defeated Fresno State's Bruna Paes 6-4, 7-6 on March 31 and UC Davis' Yuka Otaka on April 8 6-1, 6-1. Porsz is teamed with Stephanie Bengson at the No. 3 doubles spot and that duo is an impressive 15-2 thus far.
Jessica Weeks: Freshman Jessica Weeks (Beckenham, Kent, England) is competing at the No. 5 spot in singles play and is 11-6 thus far in the spring. In doubles, Weeks teams with Hannah Grady and that duo is 14-1 (2-1 at No. 1, 12-0 at No. 2). They are ranked No. 30 in the nation in doubles. Earlier this spring they defeated No. 21-ranked Dulgheru and Dickes of Pepperdine, 8-5.
Emmanuelle Tabatruong: Sophomore Emmanuelle Tabatruong (Bagneux, France) competed this past week at the No. 6 singles spot and split her two matches. On Thursday she fell to FIU's Marijana Cutuk 6-1, 6-1, but she rebounded on Saturday to beat Jessica Harris of UC Davis 6-1, 6-1. Tabatruong is 3-2 in singles play this spring.
2006 Roster
2006 Schedule/Results
2006 Statistics |
.png&width=20&height=20&type=webp)
