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Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers Can Shore Up Top Spot this Weekend
4/2/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 2, 2008
LONG BEACH, CA-- No. 35-ranked Long Beach State (12-5) can shore up the top spot for the Big West Tournament (April 25-27) this weekend and make history at the same time when they travel to UC Santa Barbara (6-10) for a 1:30 p.m. match on Thursday and to Cal Poly (9-9) for a match with the Mustangs on Friday at 1:30 p.m.
Beach Tennis, which has run the table on the rest of the conference, going 5-0, will play three more times over their final five matches against conference opponents. The 49ers are the last undefeated team in the conference. LBSU has won the last four Big West Championships.
Stephanie Bengson could make history this weekend as her 68 combined wins in singles play is No. 2 all-time and two wins away from Havaja Frljuckic's (1984-87) 21-year old record of 70 wins. Bengson is 9-2 at the No. 2 position this season and 16-10 overall. Bengson enters the weekend 68-34 all-time.
For Cal Poly, Brittany Blalock is 13-12 at the No. 1 position and Maria Malec is 15-10 overall. In doubles play the team of Blalock and Steffi Wong are No. 52 nationally, going 21-8 overall and 11-5 in the spring. For UCSB, Assagi Onaga is 12-10 and 8-8 in the spring, while three doubles teams all have nine wins.
The 49ers also have two home matches remaining on April 11, against Loyola Marymount at El Dorado Park at 1 p.m., and against Pacific on April 12 at the Billie Jean King Tennis Courts at 1:30 p.m., right across from Blair Field, where the Dirtbags will be playing a home series with UC Irvine.
The match on April 12 will also be the final home match for seniors Emmanuelle Tabatruong (5-5) and Bengson (16-10). Next year the 49ers will return to campus and to the brand new Rhodes Tennis Center, which is currently under construction.
Bengson along with Hannah Grady at the No. 1 position in doubles, are ranked No. 53 nationally this season going 17-6. This is the third time the junior, Grady, has won 17 games with a partner in doubles play. She needs two more wins to match her personal-best with the all-time record being 23 wins.
Grady is ranked No. 101 nationally, going 21-7 overall, winning 20 games for the second-straight time.
The doubles team of Lisa Sutton and Deborah Armstrong have won 11 of 12 to improve to 12-3 on the season at the No. 3 position, while the team of Stephanie Jeanes and Jessica Weeks is 10-6 at the No. 2 position. Armstrong is also looking for win No. 20 in singles play.
Players Mentioned
