BIG WEST WOMEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP SEMIFINALS
No. 5 Cal Poly (4) vs. No. 1 UC Irvine (3)
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Indian Wells Tennis Garden - Indian Wells, CA

No. 5 women's seed Cal Poly staged a 4-3 upset of top-seeded UC Irvine in the semifinals of the Big West Championship at Indian Wells Tennis Garden Saturday.

The Mustangs advance to the championship match for the second time in school history. They will face No. 2 seed Long Beach State at 9:00 a.m. Sunday. Both the men's and women's Mustang teams are in the finals in the same year for the first time as well.

UCI opened the match by winning the doubles point. After Cal Poly won at No. 1 and UC Irvine at No. 3, the two teams dueled at the No. 2 spot. Jessica Broadfoot and Heidi Kaloi emerged the victors in a tiebreak over Shannon Brady and Melissa Bradford, 9-8 (7).

However, Cal Poly won four of the six singles matches to clinch the match. It came down to No. 4 where freshman Diana Filip defeated Broadfoot 6-3, 3-6, 6-0.

Cal Poly went up 2-1 with success at the top of the lineup. Steffi Wong won the first set 6-3 and led 1-0 in the second before UCI's Inna Agababian retired due to injury. At No. 1, Brittany Blalock eased her way to a 6-0, 6-3 win over Becky Bernhard.

The Anteaters retook the lead with wins at No. 6 and No. 3. Ali Borowicz earned a 7-5, 6-1 victory against Bradford at No. 6. Clare Fermin rebounded from a one-set deficit to claim a 3-6, 6-0, 6-2 victory versus Brady.

Maria Malec defeated Kaloi 7-6 (2), 6-3 at No. 5 to tie the match, setting the stage for Filip's heroics at No. 4.

Cal Poly 4, UC Irvine 3

DOUBLES

1. Wong/Blalock (CP) def. Bernhard/Fermin (UCI) - 8-3
2. Broadfoot/Kaloi (UCI) def. Brady/Bradford (CP) - 9-8 (7)
3. Borowicz/Jayme Hu (UCI) def. Malec/Filip (CP) - 8-4

SINGLES

1. Brittany Blalock (CP) def. Becky Bernhard (UCI) - 6-0, 6-3
2. Steffi Wong (CP) def. Inna Agababian (UCI) - 6-3, 1-0 ret.
3. Clare Fermin (UCI) def. Shannon Brady (CP) - 3-6, 6-0, 6-2
4. Diana Filip (CP) def. Jessica Broadfoot (UCI) - 6-3, 3-6, 6-0
5. Maria Malec (CP) def. Heidi Kaloi (UCI) - 7-6 (2), 6-3
6. Ali Borowicz (UCI) def. Melissa Bradford (CP) - 7-5, 6-1

BIG WEST WOMEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP SEMIFINALS
No. 2 Long Beach State (4) vs. No. 3 Cal State Northridge (0)
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Indian Wells Tennis Garden - Indian Wells, CA

Long Beach State rolled to a 4-0 victory versus Cal State Northridge in the semifinals of the Big West Women's Tennis Championship at Indian Wells Tennis Garden Saturday. The 49ers will appear in the championship match for the seventh consecutive year.

The No. 2 seed 49ers also look to claim their fourth consecutive title. They will meet either top-seeded UC Irvine or No. 5 seed Cal Poly at 9:00 a.m. Sunday.

The 49ers struck early and grabbed the doubles point. At No. 2 doubles, Hannah Grady and Jessica Weeks claimed an 8-1 win over Kasia Krasinska and Ana Matijasevic. The Matadors got a win from their No. 3 team of Canna Furuta and Kristy Fournell, defeating Sandra Rocha and Rachael Porsz 8-4. LBSU clinched the point at No. 1, as Katy Williams and Stephanie Bengson edged Silvia Gutierrez and Kanykey Koichumanova, 8-5.

Long Beach State came out much more energetic in the sweltering heat as singles play began. The 49th-ranked 49ers won matches at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 5 in straight sets. Rocha began with a 6-0, 6-2 win against Sonya Kumar at No. 5. Grady defeated Gutierrez, 6-3, 6-0 at No. 1, and Bengson closed out the match with a 6-1, 6-3 triumph at No. 3.

Long Beach State improved to 16-8 with the victory. The Matadors finished their season with a second consecutive trip to the Big West semifinals and an 11-7 record.

Long Beach State 4, Cal State Northridge 0

DOUBLES

1. Williams/Bengson (LBSU) def. Gutierrez/Koichumanova (CSUN) - 8-5
2. Grady/Weeks (LBSU) def. Krasinska/Matijasevic (CSUN) - 8-1
3. Furuta/Kristy Fournell (CSUN) def. Rocha/Porsz (LBSU) - 8-4

SINGLES

1. Hannah Grady (LBSU) def. Silvia Gutierrez (CSUN) - 6-3, 6-0
2. Katy Williams (LBSU) vs. Kanykey Koichumanova (CSUN) - DNF
3. Stephanie Bengson (LBSU) def. Canna Furuta (CSUN) - 6-1, 6-3
4. Jessica Weeks (LBSU) vs. Ana Matijasevic (CSUN) - DNF
5. Sandra Rocha (LBSU) def. Sonya Kumar (CSUN) - 6-0, 6-2
6. Rachael Porsz (LBSU) vs. Kasia Krasinska (CSUN) - DNF