April 27, 2002
SAN DIEGO - For the second consecutive season the San Diego State women's tennis team advanced to the Mountain West Conference championship match and for the second consecutive year the Aztecs fell just short.
On Saturday afternoon in Provo, 19th-ranked UNLV avenged an earlier loss to the Aztecs, with a 4-2 victory over 28th-ranked San Diego State to earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. San Diego State, which has advanced to postseason play 15 times in school history, will learn Thursday if it will receive an at-large berth into the 64-team field.
"We are very disappointed," San Diego State head coach Peter Mattera said. "We lost to a top 20 team today but we have had a terrific season and have quality wins over Notre Dame, Loyola Marymount, Kansas State and UNLV. We certainly believe that we belong in the tournament."
The Rebels, which lost to the Aztecs 4-3 on March 28 in San Diego, became just the second team in 13 matches to win a doubles point against the Aztecs. UNLV's number one team of Pauline Janus and Agnieszka Abram claimed an 8-4 win over Katja Karrento and Katalina Romero, 8-4. The Rebels clinched the point when Tracie Chong and Leentjie Oosthuizen recorded a 8-5 win against Lindsey Hedberg and Julie Anna Chidley. The Aztec duo of Hedberg and Chidley lost for just the second time in 11 matches this season.
The matches were played indoors on four courts, with one through four playing first. UNLV increased its advantage to 3-0 with a pair of singles victories. At number two Gyorgyi Zsiros defeated Hedberg, 6-1, 6-3. while Abram defeated Karrento, 7-6, 6-3 at number three.
The Aztecs got on the board by winning a pair of three-set matches. At number one, 72nd-ranked Silvia Tornier rallied from a set-down to claim a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 win over 91st-ranked Paulina Janus. Katalina Romero also rallied from a deficit at number four singles to produce a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 over Tracie Chong.
With UNLV leading 3-2, the Rebels needed just one of the final two singles matches to claim the victory. Although the Aztecs Indra Erichsen had won the first set comfortably, the Rebels clinched the championship with a straight-set win by Leentjie Oosthuizen at number five singles.
San Diego State had its six-match winning streak snapped and is now 18-8 overall, while UNLV will enter the NCAA Tournament with a 20-3 record.
No. 19 UNLV 4, No. 28 San Diego State 2
Doubles (UNLV wins point)
No. 1 - Pauline Janus/Agnieszka Abram (UNLV) def. Katja Karrento/Katalina Romero (SDSU) - 8-4
No. 2 - Silvia Tornier/Indra Erichsen (SDSU) vs. Marianne Bakken/Gyorgyi Zsiros (UNLV) - DNF
No. 3 - Tracie Chong/Leentjie Oosthuizen (UNLV) def. Julie Anna Chidley/Lindsey Hedberg (SDSU) - 8-5
Order of Finish: 1, 3
Singles
No. 1 - No. 72 Silvia Tornier (SDSU) def. No. 91 Pauline Janus (UNLV) - 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
No. 2 - Gyorgyi Zsiros (UNLV) def. Lindsey Hedberg (SDSU) - 6-1, 6-3
No. 3 - Agnieszka Abram (UNLV) def. Katja Karrento (SDSU) - 7-6, 6-3
No. 4 - Katalina Romero (SDSU) def. Tracie Chong (UNLV) - 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
No. 5 - Leentjie Oosthuizen (UNLV) def. Katey Clark-Becker (SDSU) - 6-2, 6-0
No. 6 - Indra Erichsen (SDSU) vs. Marianne Bakken (UNLV) - DNF
Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1, 4, 5
Clinched Match: 5