Lady Cardinals Fall to Fresno State at NCAA Tournament :: Lamar drops 4-0 decision to Bulldogs

May 9, 2008

FRESNO, Calif. - The Lamar University women's tennis team saw its spectacular season come to an end as they dropped a 4-0 decision to the No. 16 Fresno State Bulldogs at the Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center in Fresno, Calif.

The loss caps off the best season in school history for the Lady Cardinals at 24-3 while Fresno State improves to 21-7 and advances to play Arizona State on Saturday.

Fresno State opened the match by taking the doubles point with wins at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, then sealed the win with singles victories at two, three and five. The matches at No. 1, 4 and six went unfinished after Fresno clinched the fourth and deciding point.

The Lady Cardinals effort was highlighted by junior Maria Gutierrez who was the only Lamar player to win a set during the match. She claimed a 7-5 first set victory over the No. 110 player in the country Tinesta Rowe. Rowe led the second set 4-2 when Fresno State picked up their fourth point, and the match went unfinished.

In doubles play the Bulldogs picked up an 8-2 win at No. 1 as The No. 2 ranked tandem of Rowe and Melanie Gloria defeated Andrea Martinez and Mariaryeni Gutierrez. They clinched the doubles point as the No.33 ranked pair Renata Kucerkova and Anastasia Petukhova took down Manijee Ashrafi and Maria Gutierrez 8-2. The match at No. 3 between Fresno's Danon Beatty and Jacqueline Haskett and Lamar's Salina Aranda and Kaltrina Harbuzi went unfinished.

In singles play Fresno State picked up their second point of the match when Petukhova, the No. 22 player in the country, handed Mariaryeni Gutierrez a 6-0, 6-1 setback. The loss was the first dual match loss of the season for Gutierrez who finishes the year with a 24-1 record.

The third point for Fresno came at No. 5 singles as Haskett defeated Manijee Ashrafi 6-1, 6-1 and the deciding point of the match was claimed when Kucerkova closed out Harbuzi 6-0, 6-3.

In the unfinished matches Martinez was locked in a tough battle at No. 1 singles against the No. 16 player in the country, Gloria. When the match ended Gloria was up 4-3 in the second set after winning the opener 6-4. The match at No. 6 was also a close contest with Fresno's Beatty leading Manami Kuroda 6-4, 4-2.

"They are certainly deserving of their No. 16 ranking," head coach David Wong said. "They have the talent of t top-10 program and they showed that today. We battled tough though, and I'm very proud of the way my team played. We did not lie down and give them the match. We made them take it from us and earn their victory."