May 2, 2007

LAS VEGAS - The UNLV team of Elena Gantcheva and Kristina Nedeltcheva will attempt to become just the second duo in program history to win a match at the NCAA doubles tournament as the individual fields for the Division I Women's Tennis Championships were announced Wednesday.

The singles and doubles competition will be conducted May 23-28 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Georgia, following the conclusion of the team championship (May 18-22). The University of Georgia will serve as host.

The Lady Rebels will begin the team competition of the tournament when they take on Arizona State May 11 in Berkeley, Calif.

Gantcheva, a junior, and Nedeltcheva, a freshman, received one of 21 at-large spots to what is college tennis' final tournament of the year. Both natives of Sofia, Bulgaria, they currently stand 23-3 overall, including 5-1 vs. ranked opponents, and are ranked 20th in the nation after peaking at No. 15 earlier this spring.

"To be selected is another honor for our program," UNLV head coach Kevin Cory said. "They are one of the elite doubles teams in college tennis and certainly have a chance to go deep into the tournament."

Gantcheva, however, did not receive a spot in the NCAA singles event for the first time in her three-year career.

The last UNLV women's players to make the NCAA doubles field were Katarina Malec and Marianne Bakken in 2000. The duo became the first Lady Rebels in history to win a match but then fell in the Round of 16.

UNLV IN THE NCAA WOMEN'S TENNIS DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIPS
PLAYERS                         YEAR    RECORDKatarina Malec/Marianne Bakken  2000    1-1Susie Kocsis/Gee Gee Garvin     1998    0-1Marianne Vallin/Gee Gee Garvin  1997    0-1Marianne Vallin/Astrid Copano   1995    0-1Marianne Vallin/Rachel Clark    1994    0-1TOTAL                           5       1-5