49ers Travel To Northern California
Beach Tangles With Pacific And UC Davis
April 10, 2007
PDF Version of this Release Upcoming Schedule:
Friday, April 13 at Pacific, Stockton, CA, 1 pm
Saturday, April 14 at UC Davis, Davis, CA, 10 am |
This Week: The #49-ranked Long Beach State women's tennis team heads to Northern California to take on Pacific and UC Davis. The 49ers are 12-8 on the season after sweeping their East Coast trip last weekend, defeating Brown (5-2) and Boston College (4-3). Pacific is 6-11 this season after a 6-1 loss at Sacramento State last Saturday, while the Aggies of UC Davis are 9-10 on the year after a 5-2 loss at San Francisco last Thursday. The 49ers have played 12 nationally-ranked teams thus far this season and are 5-7 in those contests.
Last Year: The 49ers were 22-5 last year, won their third consecutive Big West Conference Championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championships. Long Beach concluded the season ranked No. 26 in the country, its highest final ranking in school history.
The Series: Long Beach State trails in its series with Pacific by a 12-8 count. The 49ers have won the last two meetings against the Tigers, including a 7-0 win in Long Beach last season. The 49ers lead their series with UC Davis by a 3-1 margin. Last year the 49ers defeated the Aggies 6-1 in Long Beach. In 2005 the 49ers won in Davis, again by a 6-1 margin.
The Coach: Head Coach Jenny Hilt-Costello (UCLA, 1994) is 150-89 (.628) in her tenth year at Long Beach State. Hilt-Costello has led the 49ers to six consecutive appearances in the Big West Tournament Championship match, winning championships in 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2006. She was voted the Big West Coach of the Year in 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2006, and she was the 2004 ITA West Region Coach of the Year. Three of Hilt-Costello's players have won Big West Conference Player of the Year Awards. Her teams are the only 49er tennis teams to have ever been nationally-ranked, reach a conference final, win a conference title and reach the NCAA Tournament. She currently possesses the school-record for single season (22 wins in 2001 and 2006) and career (150) coaching victories at Long Beach State.
Beach Sweeps East Coast Swing: The 49ers won both matches on the East Coast last week defeating Brown (5-2) and Boston College (4-3). Against Brown, Stephanie Bengson, Jessica Weeks, Sandra Rocha and Rachel Porsz all won their singles matches after the 49ers had swept the doubles. The 49ers overall depth in their lineup proved to be the factor as Long Beach won at spots three through six after losing at #1 and #2 singles. Against Boston College, the match came down to #1 singles. Hannah Grady fought back for a 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 win over Lana Krasnopolsky to secure the 4-3 win. Long Beach once again swept all three doubles matches, while Weeks and Porsz prevailed in singles to lift the 49ers to victory.
Home Sweet Home: The 49ers are currently 8-1 at home this season. Last year the 49ers were 11-1 at home. In the last six-plus years (dating back to the 2001 season) the 49ers are 67-13 (.838) at home at the 49er Campus Courts.
Playing The Best: This year's spring schedule is full of nationally-ranked opponents once again. Of the 23 matches, 12 of the opponents are nationally-ranked (USC #7, Fresno State #12, Pepperdine #21, VCU #26, Florida International #32, UC Irvine #34, Penn #51, San Diego State #56, Iowa #57, UNLV #60, Nevada #62, and Loyola Marymount #65). The 49ers are ranked No. 49 in the country in the FILA Collegiate Tennis Rankings, administered by the ITA (4/10/07).
National Ranking: In the latest ITA NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Individual Rankings (April 3), sophomore Hannah Grady is ranked #122 in the country in singles. Grady began the year ranked #38 in singles in the pre-season poll on September 8. On January 9 she was not ranked, on February 21 she was ranked #52, she was not ranked on March 6, on March 20 she jumped back into the rankings at #119 and on April 3 she stands at #122. She has been ranked in four of the six individual rankings thus far this season.
Regional Rankings: In the final fall West Regional Rankings (12/8/06), Hannah Grady was ranked No. 15 in the region and Katy Williams checked in at No. 26. In doubles, Grady and Jessica Weeks were No. 6 while Stephanie Bengson and Katy Williams were No. 12.
Academic Success: The 49er women's tennis team has succeeded in the classroom as well as on the court. This past fall the team had cumulative gpa of 3.56, tops among all 49er athletic teams. Four student-athletes earned a perfect 4.0 gpa in the fall 2006 semester. Last season the 49ers were selected as an ITA All-Academic Team (as well as in 2003 and 2005) and had four student-athletes named as ITA Scholar-Athletes (Stephanie Bengson, Krystina Katayama, Rachael Porsz, Jessica Weeks).
Rocha Sets Career Mark: Senior Sandra Rocha became the school's all-time winningest player in 49er women's tennis history on March 22 against Princeton. She and Rachel Porsz won their doubles match at #3 doubles 8-4 giving Rocha 134 career wins in her four years, breaking the old mark of 133 set by Havaja Frljuckic. Rocha then won her singles match at the #5 spot to pick up career win number 135. She currently stands at 139 career victories in her outstanding four-year career. Rocha is first all-time with 78 doubles win and tied for second all-time with 61 singles victories.
Hannah Grady: Grady is currently ranked #122 in the nation in singles in the latest ITA Rankings (March 20). She was selected as the Big West Female Tennis Athlete of the Week on March 28, the second time this season she has won that honor. Grady is currently 13-7 this spring in singles, having won seven of her last 10 matches. Last week she went 1-1 with her victory coming against Boston College's Lana Krasnopolsky (6-4, 5-7, 6-3). Grady has accumulated 12 wins (12-7) against nationally-ranked opponents in her 49er career, including a 5-4 mark this season. On March 30th she defeated Pepperdine's #53-ranked Sylvia Kosakowski, 6-3, 6-1. In doubles, Grady and Jessica Weeks are 13-7 this spring. They are 4-4 at #1 doubles and 9-3 at the #2 spot. Last week they defeated Ellis and Kirkpatrick of Brown 8-2 and Sullivan and Krasnopolsky of Boston College 9-8 (5). In the fall, Grady and Weeks went 1-2, playing three nationally-ranked opponents. The win came against No. 37-ranked Schofield and Vuckovic of South Carolina, 9-8 (3). Grady was the 2006 Big West Conference Player and Freshman of the Year. She qualified for both the NCAA Singles and Doubles Individual Championships. Grady went 19-6 in singles play and finished the season ranked No. 53 in singles where she was the ninth-ranked freshman. In doubles, she and Weeks went 19-2, earning a trip to the NCAA Championships, while finishing the year ranked No. 46.
Katy Williams: Williams is 9-10 this spring in singles action. She is 8-7 at the #2 spot and 1-3 at #1 singles. She has dropped her last three singles matches. Williams began the year ranked No. 85 in singles and she was 4-4 in the fall in singles competition and stands at 13-14 overall this year. Thus far in doubles this spring, Williams is 10-8 with Stephanie Bengson. That pair have been playing at the #1 doubles spot the last 12 matches. Last week they won both matches defeating Pautler and Mansur of Brown 8-5 and Cash and Cherkasov of Boston College 9-8 (6). Williams was a first team all-conference selection in singles and doubles last year, finishing 28-9 in singles with four nationally-ranked wins and a national ranking of No. 118. In doubles, she and Sandra Rocha were 23-13 overall and were ranked No. 53 nationally. Her 28 singles victories tied the school record for victories in a single season.
Stephanie Bengson: Bengson continues to play excellent tennis this spring. She had won 10 consecutive singles matches at the #3 spot until falling last week to Boston College's Lauren Cash (6-4, 6-4). Bengson is 15-5 overall this spring in singles and 18-8 on the year. Thirteen of her 15 wins have come in straight sets. In doubles, Bengson and Katy Williams are 10-8 this spring. They have played their last 12 matches at the #1 doubles position (6-6). Last week they defeated Pautler and Mansur of Brown 8-5 and Cash and Cheerkasov of Boston College 9-8 (6). Bengson and Williams ended the fall ranked No. 12 in the West Region in doubles. Bengson was a second team all-conference selection in 2006 in singles and she earned honorable mention honors in doubles. On the 49er career charts, Bengson ranks tied for #6 in singles wins (49), #6 in doubles wins (49) and #6 in overall wins (98).
Sandra Rocha: Rocha stands at 11-6 this spring in singles action. Rocha is 6-3 at #5 singles and 5-3 at the #6 spot. Last week she defeated Brown's Tania Vucetic 6-4, 6-3, but fell to Boston College's Sarah Svoboda 6-4, 6-3. In doubles, Rocha and Rachael Porsz are 5-3 at the #3 spot, while Rocha and Emmanuelle Tabatruong are 7-4 at #3 doubles. Last week Rocha and Porsz won both doubles matches. They defeated Finkelstein and Sorokko of Brown (8-4) and Delaney and Nafarrette of Boston College (8-3). Rocha earned second team all-conference honors in singles last year and has been a first team all-league selection in doubles three consecutive years. Last season she and Katy Williams earned a No. 53 national ranking in doubles. Rocha has set her name in the 49er career record books. She is #1 in career wins (139), #1 in career doubles wins (78), and tied for #2 in career singles wins (61).
Jessica Weeks: Weeks is 12-8 this spring in singles action, having won four of her last five matches at the #4 spot. Weeks was 2-0 last week defeating Brown's Emily Ellis (6-3, 6-1) and Boston College's Alina Sullivan (6-0, 7-5). Her last four victories have all come in straight sets. After going 3-1 in the fall, Weeks is 15-9 this year in singles. In doubles this spring, Weeks and Hannah Grady are 13-7. They have played their last 12 matches at the #2 doubles spot, and have won seven of eight. Last week they defeated Ellis and Kirkpatrick of Borwn 8-2 and Sullivan and Krasnopolsky of Boston College 9-8 (5). In the fall at the Riviera All-American Championships, Weeks and Grady went 1-2 playing three nationally-ranked opponents. They defeated No. 37-ranked Schofield/Vuckovic of South Carolina 9-8 (3). Grady and Weeks were No. 6 in the West Region at the end of the fall. Weeks earned first team all-league honors in 2006 in doubles with Grady as that duo went 19-2 and finished ranked No. 46 in the nation. Weeks' 26 total doubles victories last year tied for the second-most single season doubles victories in school history.
Rachael Porsz: Porsz returned to the singles lineup last week competing at the #6 spot. She defeated Brown's Kathrin Sorokko 6-4, 7-5 and Boston College's Gia Nafarrete 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. She is now riding a five-match win streak in singles. She stands at 7-3 this spring in singles play and 10-7 on the season. In doubles, Porsz and Sandra Rocha are 5-3 at the #3 spot. They won both of their doubles matches last week. In the fall she teamed with Stephanie Bengson to win the Gold Bracket Back Draw Championship at the Cal Nike Invitational. She earned honorable mention all-league honors in doubles last year with Bengson. Porsz currently ranks tied for #11 in career singles wins with 47, she's #7 in doubles victories with 46 and she's #7 all-time at Long Beach State with 93 career victories.
Emmanuelle Tabatruong: Tabatruong is 6-7 this spring in singles. She had not played in singles since March 3 vs. Cal Poly, but played in both matches against LMU and Pepperdine. She fell twice at the #6 spot, including a tough three-set loss to LMU's Bliss Nixon 3-6, 6-2, 2-6. Tabatruong was 3-4 in the fall in singles, and stands at 9-11 on the year. In doubles, she has teamed with Sandra Rocha at the number three spot. They are 7-4 this spring in doubles. Last week they went 1-1, defeating Pepperdine's Braverman and Rice, 9-8. On February 23 they defeated the #56-ranked UNLV doubles team of Smith/Razina, 8-3. Tabatruong competed at the CS Fullerton Fall Intercollegiates in both singles and doubles. In doubles, she and Denise Liebschner won the back draw title. They defeated Fullerton's Andrews/Inglis, 8-2 and Le/Domela, 8-5 to claim the title.
Denise Liebschner: A true freshman out of Dresden, Germany, Liebschner saw her first action this spring on February 17 against UC Riverside. She played at #6 singles and defeated Alex Khoury 6-2, 6-4. Liebschner compiled a 1-4 singles mark in the fall. She went 0-2 at the CSUF Fall Intercollegiates and 1-2 at the ITA West Regionals in San Diego. In doubles, she was 1-1 with Rachael Porsz at the ITA West Regionals. She teamed with Emmanuelle Tabatruong at the at the CS Fullerton Fall Intercollegiates and that duo won the doubles back draw. They defeated Andrews/Inglis (CS Fullerton) 8-2 and Le/Domela (CS Fullerton) 8-5 to claim the title. Liebschner was ranked No. 23 in Germany in the 18's rankings. She was the winner of the 2005 Berlin Junior Open and the Dresden International Under 18 Tournament. 49er Career Chart
Singles Wins...
1. Havaja Frljuckic 70
2. Antonia Wolff 61
2. Sandra Rocha 61
4 . Lindsey Marvel 53
T6. Stephanie Bengson 49
Doubles Wins...
1. Sandra Rocha 78
2 . Kelly Chan 67
6. Stephanie Bengson 49
7. Rachael Porsz 46
Overall Wins...
1 . Sandra Rocha 139
2. Havaya Frljuckic 133
3. Antonia Wolff 118
6. Stephanie Bengson 99
7 . Rachael Porsz 83 |
2007 Schedule
2007 Roster
ITA Tennis Website
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