The Fresno State women̢۪s tennis team used injuries and a surprisingly rowdy home crowd to propel them to a 4-3 victory over Texas Christian Thursday night.
With some players unable to play due to injuries, TCU was only able to dress five players for the match. The injuries were instrumental in the outcome because the Horned Frogs were forced to forfeit one singles match and one doubles match.
Fresno State capitalized on TCU̢۪s misfortune by winning both doubles matches 8-4 to capture the doubles point and won two of the three singles matches to edge out a one-point victory.
The victory avenged a tough loss from last season and stretched the No. 14 Bulldogs current win streak to six matches.
“It was a good win over a good TCU team. They made the round of 16 last year and even though they only brought five players, they played well,� Fresno State head coach Simon Thibodeau said. “If you had told me last month that we would get a win against TCU at home I would’ve taken it.�
The Bulldogs were led in singles play by sophomore Melanie Gloria and freshman Renata Kucerkova who both won in straight sets.
“I was expecting a good match,� Kucerkova said. “But I really like when people are playing fast.�
Kucerkova, ranked No. 59 nationally, capitalized on the fast play of No. 37 Ana Cetnik to post an impressive 6-0, 6-4 upset.
“It looks like it was 6-0 easy,� Kucerkova said. “But all the games were tough.�
After she quickly disposed of Anna Sydorska 6-2 in the opening set, No. 2 Gloria struggled early in the second. Gloria started the second set by losing two of her first three service games as she fell behind 1-4.
“I lost my focus for a little bit,� Gloria said. “But I told myself I didn’t want to go to a third set.�
Gloria rebounded by using a combination of precision and strong net play. Gloria kept Sydorska off balance with several drop shots as she won the set 6-2, 6-4.
“I love hitting drop shots and I like to surprise my opponent,� Gloria said.
Gloria said that although TCU̢۪s injuries were important, the surprising amount of crowd support was the difference.
“It’s really nice when so many people come out,� Gloria said. “It makes a lot of difference during tight points.�
