University of Houston Athletics
Houston to Face Mississippi State in NCAA Opener
5/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
| No. 30 HOUSTON COUGARS vs. No. 33 MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS | |
|---|---|
| Date/Time | Friday, May 8 • 12 p.m. CT |
| Location | Hellman Tennis Complex • Berkeley, Calif. |
| Live Video | CalBears.com |
| Full Bracket | NCAA.com |
| Tournament Program | NCAA.com |
| Series History | Houston leads, 4-1 |
| Social Media |   |
BERKELEY, Calif. -- The No. 30 University of Houston tennis team is set begin postseason action on Friday, when they face No. 33 Mississippi State in the First Round of the 2015 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championship. First serve is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT at the Hellman Tennis Complex in Berkeley, Calif., and live video is available at NCAA.com.
The other side of the Berkeley Regional is occupied by host Cal, the third overall seed in the NCAA Championship, and Northeast Conference champion Bryant. The Golden Bears and Bulldogs will face off at 3 p.m. CT on Friday, with the winner to face either Houston or Mississippi State on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT.
The winner of the Berkeley Regional will advance to Waco, Texas, for the final four rounds of the 2015 NCAA Championship, which will be held May 15-19.
As a team, the Cougars (22-5) hold the No. 30 position in the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association national poll. Houston set a program record by winning 18 straight matches from Feb. 20 -- April 17, and they advanced to the finals of the American Athletic Conference Championship last month before falling to host Tulsa, 4-3.
 | THE HOUSTON LINEUP |
Houston's anchor on the top court is sophomore Despoina Vogasari. The Athens, Greece, native is ranked 77th in the latest ITA singles poll and carries a 29-8 record. Last week, she was selected for the NCAA Singles Championship by finishing the season as the highest-ranked singles player from the American Athletic Conference.
Vogasari was also honored as American Athletic Conference Player of the Year last week. She won the USTA/ITA Texas Regional Championship in October and is the only player from The American to be ranked in each ITA singles poll.
Senior Elena Kordolaimi is 32-6 overall, with a program-record 24 dual wins, and she currently holds the 105th singles spot, according to the ITA. On Monday, the native of Lamia, Greece, was honored by the UH Athletics Department as the tennis team's 2014-15 Athletic Most Valuable Player.
From the No. 3 spot, sophomore Tina Rupert is 13-6, with a 6-0 record against American Athletic Conference opponents. She was also the team's most efficient doubles player, winning 13 of her 17 completed pairs contests for a .765 winning percentage.
Kordolaimi and Rupert joined Vogasari as All-Conference selections last week. All three Cougars were also honored by The American last season, while Kordolaimi, who spent her first season at Stephen F. Austin, was an all-league pick in the Southland Conference in 2012 and Conference USA in 2013.
Junior Rocio Martin, Houston's primary fourth-court player, is 16-11 overall in singles this season. Included in Martin's 2015 ledger are clinching victories in the team's wins over Missouri and No. 42 Washington.
A pair of freshmen played the bottom two courts for Houston at the American Championship last month. At the No. 5 position, Mina Markovic sports a 14-7 singles mark, while Angela Lorenzo came on late in the season, building an 18-3 record on the strength of an eight-match winning streak.
Rounding out the Houston roster, junior Maria Cardenas is 16-12 this season, and senior Charlotte Phillips is 13-6. Cardenas, a kinesiology major with a cumulative 3.90 grade point average, was named the team's 2014-15 Academic MVP on Monday.
In doubles play, Kordolaimi has picked up team-high 16 victories with a variety of partners, while Martin and Rupert each have 13 pairs wins.
| HOUSTON'S NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY |
The Cougars are 2-3 all-time in three NCAA Championship appearances. Houston's first bid came in 1997, when it made the Second Round after taking a 5-3 win over TCU in the opening round. The Cougars were knocked out in their next match, a 5-0 loss to Tennessee.
In 1998, the Cougars qualified for the postseason after winning the Conference USA Tournament. They again won their First Round match, 5-2, over Texas A&M, before being eliminated one round later with a 5-0 setback to Arkansas.
Last season, Houston earned its first NCAA bid in 16 years. They were drawn into the College Station Regional and fell in the First Round to Texas, 5-0. Vogasari, Kordolaimi, Rupert and Cardenas played the top four singles courts in last season's postseason match, while Martin took part on court six and Phillips participated in doubles.
| SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI STATE |
Mississippi State (15-11) is ranked No. 33 in the latest ITA national poll, and like the Cougars, they received an at-large bid to the Championship. The Bulldogs advanced to the Second Round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament last month after upsetting host South Carolina, 4-3, in their opener.
The Bulldogs are making their fifth NCAA Championship appearance and their first since 2005. They advanced to the Second Round, a program best, in 1999, 2000 and 2001.
MSU is led by sophomore Jasmine Lee, who has 16 singles wins and carries the ITA's No. 23 singles ranking. A First Team All-SEC selection, Lee will represent the Bulldogs at the NCAA Singles Championship.
Junior Georgiana Patrasc, who has 22 singles wins, is ranked 107th in individual competition and 51st in doubles along with sophomore Martina Frantova. Patrasc was an All-SEC honoree last season.
Houston is 4-1 all-time against Mississippi State and has faced the Bulldogs in each of the past two seasons. MSU won, 4-3, in Starkville, Miss., on Feb. 3, 2013. Phillips and Martin each earned singles wins for Houston in the narrow defeat.
The Cougars got their win back with a 5-2 victory on Feb. 16, 2014 at the John E. Hoff Courts. Vogasari defeated Patrasc, 6-2, 6-1, while Phillips and Martin also notched wins.
| SCOUTING CAL |
Cal (20-3) finished 9-1 in Pac-12 Conference play and earned an at-large bid to the Championship. The Golden Bears feature six ranked singles players: No. 4 Maegan Manasse, No. 18 Klara Fabikova, No. 43 Zsofi Susanyi, No. 44 Denise Starr, No. 50 Lynn Chi and No. 103 Karla Popovic. Fabikova advanced to the finals of the Pac-12 singles tournament last month, vaulting seven spots in the rankings with her performance.
Manasse, Fabikova, Susanyi and Starr will each take part in both the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships. Susanyi and Fabikova form the nation's fifth-ranked doubles partnership, while Manasse and Starr are ranked No. 7.
Houston has never before faced Cal in team competition, though Vogasari squared off with Manasse twice in the fall. The Cal player was victorious on Sept. 28, 2014 at the Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championship, 6-2, 6-2, and she earned a narrow win on Nov. 7, 2014 in the National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship, 6-4, 6-4.
The Golden Bears have advanced to the Round of 16 in eight straight NCAA Championships, finishing as high as second in 2008 and 2009.
| SCOUTING BRYANT |
The Bulldogs (9-7) clinched their first Northeast Conference Championship on April 19 with a 4-0 sweep of LIU Brooklyn. Bryant is making its first NCAA Championship appearance.
The NEC champions are led by freshman Ashanti Campfield, who enters the postseason with a 12-4 record. Sophomore Ryan Brown has 11 singles wins.
Brown was named NEC Player of the Year last month, while Campfield was the league's Freshman of the Year. Head Coach Barbara Cilli was named NEC Coach of the Year, while Bulldogs Rosie Byrd, Briana Leonard, Linnea Sjoberg and Marion Bouillin each earned All-NEC nods.
Houston and Bryant have never met on the tennis court.
| JOIN THE CENTER COURT CLUB |
The Cougars are proud to introduce the Center Court Club, a restricted-giving program that directly impacts the needs of the University of Houston Tennis program. Gifts to the Center Court Club provide financial support directly to the University of Houston Tennis program for needs beyond the program's operating budget. Revenue generated from the Center Court Club is used at the discretion of the Head Coach for program enhancements. Membership in the Center Court Club is annual and requires a minimum $100 gift.
LEVELS OF GIVING
WINNER
For a minimum gift of $100, supporters receive a team poster and a signed tennis ball.
ACE
For a minimum gift of $500, supporters receive a team poster and a signed tennis ball, private practice invitation and a stadium blanket.
US OPEN
For a minimum gift of $1,000, supporters receive a team poster and a signed tennis ball, private practice invitation, a stadium blanket, fleece jacket and a lesson from the coach.
GRAND SLAM
For a minimum gift of $2,500, supporters receive a team poster and a signed tennis ball, private practice invitation, a stadium blanket, fleece jacket, a lesson from the coach and a group lesson from the coaching staff.
Join the Center Court Club
| FOLLOW THE COUGARS! |
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--UHCougars.com--
Players Mentioned
