Wake Forest Athletics
Bea Bielik to Play for NCAA Singles Championship
5/24/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
May 24, 2002
STANFORD, Calif. -
Wake Forest junior Bea Bielik will compete for the NCAA singles national championship after a dominating semifinal victory on Friday morning at the Taube Tennis Stadium. Bielik defeated Stanford freshman Erin Burdette, 6-1, 6-0 on Friday.
The Valley Stream, N.Y. product has posted five consecutive straight set victories and has lost just 19 total games in her championship quest thus far. The record for an NCAA singles champion is 22 games, set by Stanford??s Laura Granville in 2000.
??I really didn??t know what to expect going into today??s match,?? Bielik said. ??Just like the last couple matches, I had a game plan in mind and played pretty well. I feel like I??m getting better after every match. This is the point you want to get to. Tomorrow I just have to go out and play to the best of my ability. It doesn??t matter who you are playing; at this point you just go out there and play the ball, not the player. I??d love to bring the title back to Wake Forest. I think as a school we get respect in the tennis world, but not necessarily around the country. It would be a great honor.??
??She (Bielik) hits a really good ball and I just never got used to it,?? Burdette said. ??I was hoping that if I could get some rallies going, maybe I could outlast her. I was just trying to get things going from the baseline and stay aggressive. Nothing was going my way today and I was making unforced errors.??
Bielik, the top seed in the singles bracket, will face third-seeded Jessica Lehnhoff of Florida for the national title on Saturday at 12 noon (PT). Lehnhoff defeated Stanford??s Gabriela Lastra, 6-4, 6-2 in Friday??s other semifinal. Bielik will be the first player in Wake Forest tennis history to compete for a national title. Tomorrow??s meeting will mark the rubber match between Bielik and Lehnhoff this season. Lehnhoff won this fall in the quarterfinals of the Riviera All-American tournament, when Bielik retired due to cramps. Bielik returned the favor this spring, winning 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in a dual match in March.
NCAA Singles Championship
Friday, May 24
Quarterfinals
(1) Bea Bielik (WFU) def. (9-16) Erin Burdette (Stanford), 6-1, 6-0
(3) Jessica Lehnhoff (Florida) def. (9-16) Gabriela Lastra (Stanford), 6-4, 6-2
Saturday, May 25
Finals
(1) Bea Bielik (WFU) vs. (3) Jessica Lehnhoff (Florida), 12 noon (PT)
