May 7, 2008

LAS VEGAS - The UNLV women's tennis program has lost five consecutive matches in NCAA tournament play. And which team started that skid way back in 1998? The very same school that the Lady Rebels face Friday when the first round of the 2008 event gets underway in Los Angeles -- 18th-ranked Pepperdine.

While that decade-old 5-2 defeat happened before head coach Kevin Cory even set foot in Las Vegas, his squad only has to go back a couple of months for increased motivation against the Waves. It was on March 15 when Pepperdine traveled to the Fertitta Tennis Complex and squeaked out a 4-3 victory over a depleted Lady Rebel lineup and upped its all-time record vs. UNLV to a dominant 11-0.

Now healthy and riding an eight-match winning streak, the Mountain West Conference champion Lady Rebs will have the opportunity to turn the tide, so to speak, against the Waves when they open play on USC's campus beginning with doubles at 1 p.m.

"We're anxious to get down there and I feel that the team is ready to go," said Cory. "It should be an exciting match on Friday. Pepperdine is a top-20 program every year for a reason and that is something we aspire to become. If not for some injuries in the middle of the season, I think we would also be in the top 20 this spring so I think the team feels it has something to prove."

Earning one of the nation's 31 automatic bids, 37th-ranked UNLV is part of an NCAA Regional for the second straight season and seventh time in its history. The team's unquestioned leader is senior star Elena Gantcheva, ranked 36th in singles (30-10) and buoyed by a record-setting spring that included being named MWC Player of the Year for an unprecedented third straight season. The native of Sofia, Bulgaria, brings in a nine-match win streak and a 47-28 career record vs. ranked opponents. Winning a dual match in the NCAA tournament would be a new experience, though, for the nine-time conference player of the week.

Gantcheva is not the only player in the lineup with gaudy numbers, however. Junior Katy Williams, who transferred in this season from Long Beach State, missed the earlier Pepperdine meeting after injuring her wrist but has won eight of her last nine matches to build a 21-8 singles mark. Youngster Anna Maskaljun, playing at the fourth spot, has turned in a spiffy freshman year, currently ranking second on the team with 25 wins vs. nine defeats. Veteran junior Nikol Dimitrova is also red-hot, having won seven straight matches at the key No. 3 position.

In addition, sophomore Kristina Nedeltcheva has won five of six and earned the biggest victory over her short career when she upset Pepperdine's then-48th-ranked Anamika Bargava in three sets when these teams first met. Nedeltcheva has been even more impressive in doubles play as she and Gantcheva boast a 10-match winning streak at the top of the lineup. Ranked 35th, the best duo in school history is currently 23-8 and, as first alternate, is on the verge of earning a second consecutive trip to the NCAA Doubles Championship later this month. Another player who did not play singles in the first meeting vs. the Waves is the team's only other senior, Sharon Marin. Long slowed by a bad back, Marin is slated to compete on court six and looks to end her collegiate career on an upswing.

Pepperdine, meanwhile, boasts a powerful doubles lineup that won all three matches vs. the Lady Rebels the first time around. Fresh from earning its sixth consecutive West Coast Conference title, longtime head coach Gualberto Escudero's squad checks in with two ranked singles players: No. 84 Sylvia Kosakowski and No. 108 Bargava. In doubles, Kosakowski and Bianca Dulgheru sit 11th in the nation and are the last team to defeat the top UNLV pairing.

Whichever team wins on Thursday will likely stick around to watch the afternoon's other regional semifinal pitting 10th-ranked host USC (17-7) against Metro Atlantic Conference champ Marist (10-8). The two survivors return on Saturday to play for a spot in the NCAA Round of 16, which will be played May 15 at the Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Okla.

Fans can follow all the action at the NCAA Tournament, including live video and stats, by .

2008 NCAA WOMEN'S TENNIS REGIONALS (At Los Angeles, CA)May 9:Semifinal 1 p.m.#37 UNLV (17-8) vs. #18 Pepperdine (19-4)
Semifinal 4 p.m.#10 Southern California (17-7) vs. Marist (10-8)
May 10:Regional Final 3 p.m.

PREVIOUS UNLV WOMEN'S TENNIS NCAA APPEARANCES2007 At Berkeley, CA (Host: Cal)Lost 4-0 in first round to Arizona State
2005 At Austin, TX (Host: Texas)Lost 4-0 in first round to Texas A&M
2003 At Seattle (Host: Washington)Lost 4-0 in first round to Illinois
2002 At Los Angeles (Host: USC)Lost 4-2 in first round to Oregon
1998 At Las Vegas (Host UNLV)Won 5-1 in first round over Washington StateLost 5-2 in second round to Pepperdine
1997 At San Diego (Host USD)Lost 5-4 in first round to San Diego