The Long Beach State’s women’s tennis team is headed to Fresno this weekend for the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Big West champion 49ers, which are ranked No. 44 in the country, will meet No. 20 Pepperdine at 10 a.m. on Saturday. LBSU is the No. 3 seed in the Fresno Regional, and the Waves are the No. 2 seed. In the other first round game in Fresno, No. 14 Fresno State will play against Army.
“We did get a favorable draw,” said LBSU head coach,” said Jenny Hilt-Costello to the Daily Forty-Niner last week. “[Pepperdine] is a tough team, but we are definitely going to be in the match.”
LBSU (17-8) met Pepperdine (19-9) earlier this season in a non-conference match, with Pepperdine winning 5-2. History is also against the 49ers, as Pepperdine has won all 13 matchups between the two schools.
The 49ers advanced to the NCAA Tournament by beating Cal Poly, 4-0, in the Big West Conference final on April 14.
LBSU features the Big West Player of the Year, sophomore Hannah Grady, along with the all-conference first team members, junior Stephanie Bengson and sophomore Katy Williams.
The 49ers will be without the player who has won more matches than any other in school history. Sandra Rocha had shoulder surgery last week to correct lingering problem with a shoulder.
Women’s Golf
After winning the Big West Tournament and being ranked in the top 25 through most of the season, junior golfer Kay Hoey is now set to make her third appearance at the NCAA West Regionals in St. George, Utah, which starts today.
Hoey, who is this year’s Big West Female Golfer of the Year, is coming off her best season yet.
She was placed in the top 10 in all 10 tournaments she played in, winning four of them. She shot an opening-round 65 at the Peg Barnard California Collegiate in early April, setting a school record and setting another record the following day with her combined two-round score of 134 (65-69). For the third year in a row, Hoey was selected to the Big West Conference’s first team.
Hoey recently captured the Big West individual title with a 1-under par 215 (71-73-71). Her average for the year is 72.40, and her average during the spring was 70.69.
In last year’s regional tournament, Hoey tied for 11th with 222 (72-77-73). In 2005, she placed fifth, scoring 219 (74-71-74) and advancing to the NCAA Championships, where she then finished with 297 (73-73-75-76), tying for 27th place.
The Streak
Consecutive Wins: 9 Started: April 22 (UC Davis) Last Win: Tuesday (San Diego State) Run Scored: 83 Runs Against: 33
Dirtbags Weekend Preview
Who: Long Beach State (31-14, 10-2) vs. UC Santa Barbara (21-22, 9-6) Where: Santa Barbara When: Friday 2 p.m., Saturday 1 p.m. Sunday 1 p.m.
