Malec Heads To Quarterfinals
5/24/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
May 24, 2000
MALIBU, Calif. - UNLV senior Katarina Malec came back from a frustrating first-set loss to upset sixth-seed Alison Bradshaw of Arizona State and move into the quarterfinals of the NCAA Women's Tennis Championships at Pepperdine Wednesday.
Malec, unseeded and ranked 29th, became the first UNLV woman to advance this deep into the national tournament while breaking the school record for victories in a season by improving to 38-5 - one win better than Marianne Vallin in 1994.
After rain delayed the start of the match for two hours, Malec broke Bradshaw's service game to take a 4-3 lead. Malec then twice faced game point to go up 5-3 but instead allowed Bradshaw to come back for a 7-5 first-set victory.
Malec, however, regained her focus and quickly took the next set 6-1. The native of Warsaw, Poland, continued to frustrate her opponent and jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the deciding set. Bradshaw pulled within one game and had ad-in when Malec rallied to win the game and close the set out in a 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 victory.
"I didn't take chances in the first set and I played defensively," Malec said. "I was mad at myself for not winning the set and told myself that `this is it, my last chance.' I wanted to know that even if I lost, I had given everything I could, so I became aggressive. She became frustrated when she saw that I was not going to give up and go away."
UNLV Head Coach Kevin Cory agreed that Bradshaw initially had Malec on the defensive.
"Allison played big tennis in the first set, taking the ball early and hitting corner to corner," Cory said. "The difference came when Katarina began to play the ball deep and to Allison's backhand, which disrupted (Bradshaw's) rhythm. When Allison is on, she is the type of player who can beat anyone in the country. But if you get her out of her gameplan, she can be beaten."
Although Malec said she was cramping late in the final set, Cory said his player's conditioning once again played a big part in winning a three-set match.
"I knew going into the final set that Katarina had the advantage because of her conditioning and her heart," he said. "She has proved that she can beat anyone in the country in a three-set match."
Malec will face 11th-ranked Bruna Colosio of LSU in the quarterfinals later today after the sophomore from Columbia got past Georgia's Lori Grey, 6-4, 6-3.
The semifinals are Thursday and the finals on Friday.
