Nov. 3, 2005
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Super sophomore Elena Gantcheva turned in another straight-set win over a ranked opponent in Thursday's first round of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Indoor Championships, hosted by The Ohio State University at the Racquet Club of Columbus.
Gantcheva, ranked 24th in the preseason, improved to 15-3 this fall by downing 70th-ranked Dominika Dieskova of Oregon 6-2, 6-3.
In Friday's Round of 16 Gantcheva will face fourth-ranked and fifth-seeded Robin Stephenson of Alabama, who went three sets with Notre Dame's Catrina Thompson, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4.
"It was nice to get Elena's first round match under her belt because she is not used to playing indoors," UNLV head coach Kevin Cory said. "Now she has a big challenge ahead of her in facing the number five seed."
The only previous Lady Rebel to play in the national indoor tournament was three-time All-American Marianne Vallin, who as a freshman in February of 1994 beat three top-20 players in reaching the semifinals before falling to the event's top seed.
2005 ITA NATIONAL INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Women's Singles - First Round
Nicole Leimbach, TCU (1), def. Natalie Frazier, Georgia, 3-6, 6-2, 6-0Zuzana Cerna, Baylor, def. Kim Coventry, Kentucky, 6-1, 6-3Theresa Logar, Stanford (8), def. Anca Anastasiu, Southern California, 6-1, 4-6, 6-1Bianca Dulgheru, Pepperdine, def. Ashley Bentley, Alabama, 7-5, 6-2Kristi Miller, Georgia Tech (3), def. Anne Yelsey, Stanford, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3Jackie Carleton, Duke, def. Caitlin O' Keefe, Ohio State, 6-3, 6-4Cristelle Grier, Northwestern (6), def. Federica van Alrichem, Clemson, 7-5, 6-1Megan Muth, William & Mary, def. Stephanie Kusano, California, 6-4, 7-6(0)Elena Gantcheva, UNLV, def. Dominika Dieskova, Oregon, 6-2, 6-3Robin Stephenson, Alabama (5), def. Catrina Thompson, Notre Dame, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4Caitlin Burke, Wisconsin, def. Larikah Russell, Southern Nazarene, 6-2, 6-2Alice Barnes, Stanford (4), def. Megan Moulton-Levy, William & Mary, 6-3, 7-6 (4)Ela Kaluder, Arkansas, def. Helena Besovic, TCU, 6-4, 6-3Diana Srebovic, Florida, def. Suzi Fodor, California (7), 6-2, 6-1Olga Boulytcheva, BYU, def. Emma Murphy, San Diego, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2Amanda Fink, Southern California (2), def. Alexis Prousis, Northwestern, 6-1, 3-6, 6-0
