Oct. 24, 2004

SAN DIEGO - UNLV's fabulous freshman Elena Gantcheva suffered the first defeat of her college career Sunday, falling in the semifinals of the 2004 Wilson/ITA Women's Tennis West Regional.

Gantcheva, seeded eighth, dropped to 14-1 after losing to another of college tennis' top freshmen, Lindsey Nelson of USC, 6-3, 6-4.

"I'm proud of the way our players competed this weekend," UNLV head coach Kevin Cory said. "When you play in perhaps the strongest region in the nation, it's nice to know you can go toe-to-toe with anyone. This was an especially big tournament for Elena, getting to the semifinals by beating a top-10 player, and she will most certainly debut with a high ranking in January. This sets the tone for a big season for the Lady Rebels."