The UC Irvine women's tennis team lost 4-0 to Texas in the first round of the NCAA Championship Saturday at Marks Stadium on the campus of USC. The Anteaters finished the 2007 season 21-5, marking the fourth-highest number of wins in school history.

Texas claimed the doubles point with wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots. Ristine Olson and Courtney Zauft downed junior Jessica Broadfoot and sophomore Heidi Kaloi 8-1 at No. 2. At. No. 3, Stephanie Davison and Jane Pringle won by an 8-4 score over senior Jayme Hu and Ali Borowicz.

The Longhorns went up 2-0 in the match when No. 24 Vanja Corovic defeated junior Becky Bernhard 6-1, 6-1 in No. 1 singles. Olson topped Kaloi 6-2, 6-2 at the No. 5 position, and UT closed out the match at No. 6, where Sarah Lancaster defeated Borowicz 6-3, 6-3.

The Anteaters were leading or tied at the other three singles slots when the match was decided. Clare Fermin and Broadfoot were up on set on their opponents, while Inna Agababian was tied at a set apiece with Davison at No. 2.

Texas 4, UC Irvine 0

DOUBLES
1. Bernhard/Fermin (UCI) vs. Corovic/Marija Milic (UT), 6-4
2. Olson/Zauft (UT) def. Broadfoot/Kaloi (UCI), 8-1
3. Davison/Jane Pringle (UT) def. Jayme Hu/Borowicz (UCI), 8-4

SINGLES
1. No. 24 Vanja Corovic (UT) def. Becky Bernhard (UCI), 6-1, 6-1
2. Inna Agababian (UCI) vs. Stephanie Davison (UT), 1-6, 6-1 (DNF)
3. Clare Fermin (UCI) vs. No. 115 Courtney Zauft (UT), 6-4, 4-5 (DNF)
4. Jessica Broadfoot (UCI) vs. Petra Dizdar (UT), 6-4, 2-6, 1-0 (DNF)
5. Ristine Olson (UT) def. Heidi Kaloi (UCI), 6-2, 6-2
6. Sarah Lancaster (UT) def. Ali Borowicz (UCI), 6-3, 6-3

NCAA WOMEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP
No. 20 Pepperdine (4) vs. No. 44 Long Beach State (2)
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Wathen Tennis Center - Fresno, CA

Long Beach State dropped a tough 4-2 decision to Pepperdine in Saturday's first round of the NCAA Women's Tennis Championship at the Wathen Tennis Center in Fresno, Calif.

The 49ers concluded their season at 17-9. This was the fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament for the four-time defending Big West champion.

It was nip-and-tuck at nearly every position as the 49ers just fell short of winning an NCAA match for the second straight year. At doubles, the No. 1 Pepperdine duo of Bianca Dulgheru and Sylvia Kosakowski defeated Stephanie Bengson and Katy Williams 8-6. The Waves clinched the point at No. 3 doubles when Jillian Braverman and Katia Sabate won 8-5 over Rachael Porsz and Denise Liebschner.

Pepperdine looked to have the match in control with two quick wins in singles. At the No. 6 slot, Anete Bandere cruised to a 6-2, 6-0 win over Liebschner. Caroline Raba then defeated Jessica Weeks 6-0, 6-1 at No. 4.

Long Beach State mounted a comeback though with a pair of singles wins over nationally ranked opponents. Hannah Grady, the two-time Big West Player of the Year, engineered a 6-2, 6-4 win at No. 1 over the 65th-ranked Dulgheru to put the 49ers on the board. Williams followed that up with a hard fought 7-5, 7-6 (5) over No. 52 Kosakowski.

The comeback ended at No. 3 singles. Stephanie Bengson, who won the first set 6-4 against Sabate, lost the next two sets 2-6 and 0-6. Porsz was ahead in her match at No. 5, leading 3-1 in the third set when the contest was halted.

Pepperdine 4, Long Beach State 2

DOUBLES
1. Dulgheru/Kosakowski (PEP) def. Bengson/Williams (LBSU), 8-6
2. Grady/Weeks (LBSU) vs. Bandere/Dickes (PEP), 8-7 (DNF)
3. Jillian Braverman/Sabate (PEP) def. Porsz/Liebschner (LBSU), 8-5

SINGLES
1. Hannah Grady (LBSU) def. Bianca Dulgheru (PEP), 6-2, 6-4
2. Katy Williams (LBSU) def. Sylvia Kosakowski (PEP), 7-5, 7-6 (5)
3. Katia Sabate (PEP) def. Stephanie Bengson (LBSU), 4-6, 6-2, 6-0
4. Caroline Raba (PEP) def. Jessica Weeks (LBSU), 6-0, 6-1
5. Rachael Porsz (LBSU) vs. Eva Dickes (PEP), 6-7 (5), 6-4, 3-1 (DNF)
6. Anete Bandere (PEP) def. Denise Liebschner (LBSU), 6-2, 6-0