'Dogs open season at No. 1 Stanford

By Kim Anderson
The Collegian

The Fresno State women’s tennis team will visit No. 1 Stanford in hopes of breaking its three-year winning streak.

“I feel we have a shot,” head coach Simon Thibodeau said. “We’re a bit more nervous than usual but we’ve prepared just as good as them.”

The ‘Dogs will travel to Palo Alto, Calif. Friday in hopes of doing two things: starting off their 2007 dual match season with a win and defeating the No. 1 ranked team.

Thibodeau believes his team will be a good match for the Cardinals and win or lose; it will be a good tune up.

“For our first match, not all of the emphasis is on the win,” Thibodeau said. “If we believe we can do it, we can play with anyone. It’s still very early.”

One of the Bulldogs most dangerous players is sophomore Melanie Gloria. Gloria is ranked No. 4 in the country and is no stranger to upsets.

The Bulldogs just returned from the Cal Winter Invitational in Berkeley, Calif. where she beat No. 3 Suzi Babos of Cal 6-1, 6-2.

“Melanie has a great personality,” Thibodeau said. “She could have a lot of fans if people came out to watch her play.”

Other players to look for include No. 49 ranked freshman Renata Kucerkova, sophomore Tinesta Rowe, ranked No. 92, and freshman Anastasia Petukhova, who beat Cal’s Nina Henkel 6-1, 6-1 at the Cal Winter Invitational.

When the ‘Dogs return, they will have a double header at home against San Jose State and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) before hitting the road again for the month of February.

“UNLV is probably the second best team in the WAC,” Thibodeau said. “It would be good to have some home support for this match.”

Sunday’s matches begin at 9:30 a.m. against San Jose State and 4 p.m. against UNLV. Free pizza and drinks will be provided starting at 3:30 p.m. at the Wathen Tennis Center.

Comment on this story in the Sports forum >>