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Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers Look to Crash the Waves
3/19/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
March 19, 2008
LONG BEACH-- No. 39-ranked Long Beach State (11-4), winners of eight in a row, will put that win streak on the line when they travel up the coast to take on No. 18-ranked Pepperdine (12-3) on Friday at 1:30 p.m. The trip to Malibu begins a four-match road trip for the team through April 4.
The 49ers will play five of their final seven on the road, hosting Loyola Marymount on April 11 at the El Dorado Tennis Courts and Pacific at the Billie Jean King Tennis Courts across from Blair Field on April 12.
Pepperdine features two ranked players in No. 57-ranked Anamika Bhargava who is 11-2 in dual play and 14-4 overall and No. 74-ranked Sylvia Kosakowsi, who is 13-10 overall. The Waves also feature two doubles team in No. 7-ranked Bianca Dulgheru and Kosakowski, who are a perfect 16-0 in the spring and 17-3 overall. The team of Anete Bandere and Anamika Bhargava are 8-2 and 6-1 in the spring and ranked No. 48 nationally.
The 49ers, who have won the doubles point in 12-straight matches, are led by Hannah Grady and Stephanie Bengson, who are 16-5 this year and check in at No. 31 nationally. This is the second-highest ranking of any 49er doubles team, as the team of Grady and Jessica Weeks were as high as No. 22 in 2006.
The hottest of the doubles teams has been the freshman tandem of Deborah Armstrong and Lisa Sutton, who have teamed up to go 11-2 in the spring at the No. 3 position. That duo has won 10 in a row.
In singles play, Hannah Grady continues to be ranked, ranking No. 116 this week. Grady has won seven of her last eight to improve to 19-7 on the year. She looks to become just the fourth player to win 20 games twice in a career.
Stephanie Bengson continues her march towards the career singles record, going 14-10 this year to give her 66 wins, four away from the record. Grady with 60 wins is fifth. Bengson has won six of her last seven.
Bengson has been the Big West Player of the Week four times in her career, while Grady, with two more this season has tied the record with nine awards.
Freshman Stephanie Jeanes has the longest current win streak in singles play, going 11-4 since coming over from Australia. Jeanes has won her last eight matches. Another freshman, Deborah Armstrong is closing in on 20 wins, going 19-10 this year and 10-5 in the spring.
Players Mentioned
