May 24, 2006

LAS VEGAS - You can forgive UNLV tennis star Elena Gantcheva if she's already seen enough of USC's Lindsey Nelson in her young but spectacular career.

One season after Nelson snapped Gantcheva's 14-match winning streak at a fall regional tournament, the Trojan standout stopped the Lady Rebel's 11-match streak - this time in Wednesday's first round of the NCAA Singles Championship at the Taube Tennis Center in Palo Alto, Calif.

Despite earning a coveted top-16 seed in the 64-woman tournament, 12th-ranked Gantcheva drew 18th-ranked Nelson for a day-one matchup and the result was a quick exit with the 6-2, 6-4 defeat.

"We knew we had a tough draw by facing a top player from the nation's second-ranked team right off the bat," UNLV head coach Kevin Cory said. "But Elena just never got going today and Lindsey played very well. Even though this was disappointing, Elena had a remarkable season. Now she got her feet wet at the NCAA tournament and will certainly be a contender here next year."

Gantcheva, who became her program's third All-American in history by being a seeded player, closed her sophomore campaign with a 33-9 mark, which represents the fourth-most singles wins ever by a Lady Rebel. UNLV fell to 7-8 all-time at the NCAA singles event.

UNLV WOMEN'S TENNIS RESULTS
2006 NCAA SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIPAt Taube Tennis Center, Palo Alto, CA
FIRST ROUNDLindsey Nelson (USC) def. (9-16) Elena Gantcheva (UNLV) 6-2, 6-4