Wake Forest Athletics
Women's Tennis Hosts NCAA Regional This Weekend
5/8/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
May 8, 2002
2001-02 Wake Forest Women's Tennis
NCAA Regional * Upper Eight Courts * Wake Forest University * Winston-Salem, N.C.
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First Round
Saturday, May 11
Clemson vs. William & Mary, 10:00 a..m.
American vs. Wake Forest, 2:00 p.m.
Second Round
Sunday, May 12
1:00 p.m.
2001-02 Demon Deacons at a Glance
Overall Record: 21-5 * ACC Record: 6-2
ACC Regular Season Finish: 3rd
National Ranking: 8th
NCAA Tournament Seed: 8th of 64
Women's Tennis Earns Ninth-Straight NCAA Berth...
The eighth-ranked Wake Forest women's tennis team received an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament and will host first and second round regional action on campus May 11-12. The Demon Deacons, seeded eighth overall in the 64-team bracket, enter NCAAs with a 21-5 record.
The Demon Deacons' NCAA berth marks its ninth-straight appearance, as well as ninth overall, in the NCAA Tournament. It is the second-longest current NCAA streak for any team at Wake Forest, behind 10 straight appearances by the women's golf team.
Wake Forest is looking to be one of the 16 regional champions to advance to the NCAA Team Championships in Stanford, Calif., May 16-19. Since the NCAA expanded the bracket to 64 teams in 1999, the Deacs have missed the Championships just once (1999), and have made three consecutive trips to the "Sweet Sixteen". Last season, 17th-ranked Wake Forest won a regional in Stillwater, Okla. to advance to the Championships, but fell to eventual champion Stanford in the round of 16.
A Look at the Winston-Salem Regional...
The Deacs welcome three teams to the regional at Wake Forest University, including Patriot League champion American University, the College of William & Mary, the Colonial Athletic Association champions, and Clemson, a familiar rival from the ACC. The Tigers and the Tribe will square off at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 11 with Wake taking on the Eagles at 3:00 p.m. Winners of those first round matches will face each other at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 12.
All matches take place at the "Upper Eight" courts, adjacent to Leighton Tennis Stadium. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for students and children.
Wake will face American for the first time. The Deacs own winning series records against Clemson (16-15) and William & Mary (13-8).
American University, with a 12-5 overall record, went undefeated in Patriot League play (5-0) and won the conference tournament with two 4-0 sweeps over Lehigh and Army. The Eagles are led by Patriot League Player of the Year Olga Mikhailova, a junior from Moscow, Russia.
Another conference champion, the College of William and Mary, captured its 16th Colonial Athletic Association title in 2002. The 16th-ranked Tribe enters the NCAA Tournament with a 19-7 record and are led by 56th-ranked Jessyca Arthur and CAA Rookie of the Year Candice Fuchs, who together are also ranked 16th nationally in doubles.
Clemson, ranked 40th nationally, owns a 13-10 record with a 5-3 ACC mark. The Tigers finished fourth in the league but fell to fifth-seeded Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. Tiger freshman Alix Lacelarie is 32nd in the singles rankings and teams up with Laurence Jayet to form the nation's 39th-ranked doubles tandem.
A Quick Look at the Deacon Lineup...
Wake Forest's fields a relatively young lineup, with three freshmen, a sophomore, a junior and two seniors expected to compete this weekend. Junior Bea Bielik (Valley Stream, N.Y.) tops the Deacon lineup at both No. 1 singles. Bielik, ranked second nationally, should be back to 100 percent after spraining her ankle on April 11. Bielik owns a 26-2 record entering NCAAs, including a 20-2 mark against nationally-ranked opponents.
Bergman, ranked 20th nationally in singles, plays at No. 2 in the lineup, compiling a 25-11 record (8-10 versus ranked opponents) so far this season.
The Nos. 3, 4, and 5 singles spots have been interchangeable between senior Maren Haus (Brielle, N.J.), freshman Karin Coetzee (Bloemfontein, South Africa) and freshman Katie Martzolf (Indianapolis, Ind.). Haus is slated to play at No. 3 after compiling a 20-17 in singles so far this year. Coetzee, who has given a solid performance after joining the team in January, will play No. 4 after putting together a 14-5 mark. Martzolf, ranked 94th nationally with a 27-9 singles record, is slated for the No. 5 spot.
Sophomore Elizabeth Proctor (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) rounds out the Deacon lineup at No. 6. Proctor has gone 10-10 this season in singles matches.
Wake Forest will change its doubles look at the Nos. 1 and 2 positions for the NCAA Tournament. At No. 1 will be Bielik and Coetzee, playing together for the first time. Bergman and Haus, who teamed up to go 2-0 while Bielik was injured, are slated for the No. 2 slot. The freshman duo of Martzolf and Danielle Schwartz (Livingston, N.J.), who have put together an impressive 16-8 record this spring, including a 7-1 mark against ACC teams, will remain at No. 3 in the lineup.
Sophomore Aimee Smith (Norcross, Ga.) who saw action at Nos. 5-6 singles as well as No. 2 doubles with Coetzee during most of the spring, recently suffered a foot injury and will most likely be sidelined for this weekend's action.
Head Coach Brian Fleishman...
Wake Forest head coach Brian Fleishman, in his fourth year at the helm of the Deacon program, continues to lift the program to new heights. He has compiled a 73-22 record as a head coach, all at WFU. The 2000 ACC Coach of the Year, Fleishman has led the Deacs to four straight NCAA appearances and a school-record 24 dual wins in 2000. He has coached seven All-Americas during his tenure at Wake, which included two seasons (1997-98) as an assistant coach. Under Fleishman's guidance, the Deacons have recorded a 28-4 ACC record the last four seasons and are 6-3 in NCAA Tournament play.
A 1991 graduate of Christopher Newport University, Fleishman served as an assistant coach at William and Mary before coming to Winston-Salem.
Wake Forest in the NCAA Championship...
As mentioned, Wake is making its ninth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, dating back to 1994. The Deacs own an all-time record of 8-8 in NCAA play, and have advanced as far as the quarterfinals twice - in 1998 and 2000.
This marks the second time in school history Wake has hosted a regional, the first being 2000. The Deacs defeated Virginia Tech and San Diego State in that regional to advance to the championships in Malibu, Calif.
Since the bracket expanded to 64 teams and regional play began in 1999, WFU has gone 5-1 in regional action.
Regional Tidbits...
Wake Forest defeated Clemson 5-2 and William & Mary 4-2 in their earlier meetings this season ... two conference Players of the Year will compete in the regional, including the ACC's Bea Bielik from WFU and the Patriot League's Olga Mikhailova from American ... Tribe freshman Candice Fuchs was named the CAA's Rookie of the Year ... American is making its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Regional Connections...
* WFU head coach Brian Fleishman came to Winston-Salem from the College of William & Mary, serving as an assistant coach there from 1995-97.
* Wake Forest freshman Danielle Schwartz and William & Mary junior Nina Kamp both attended Newark Academy in New Jersey.
* American junior Kealy Carter hails from nearby High Point, N.C. where she attended Westchester Academy.
* Wake's Karin Coetzee (Bloemfontein) and Clemson's Ana Stiglic (Kensington) both hail from South Africa.
A Look Back at the 2001 NCAA Tournament...
Wake Forest opened NCAA play with a first-round 4-0 shutout over 63rd-ranked Illinois State in Edmond, Okla. WFU took the doubles point from the Missouri Valley Conference champion Redbirds, then won at No. 1, 3 and 6 singles to clinch the match. Bea Bielik, Maren Haus and Aimee Smith all posted straight-set singles victories in the win, while Bielik teamed up with Janet Bergman at No. 1 and Haus and Smith combined at No. 2 for doubles wins.
The 17th-ranked Deacons then faced host Oklahoma State, seeded 16th in the bracket, for the right to advance. Wake dropped the doubles point, although Bergman and Bielik teamed up for an 8-1 win at No. 1 over OSU's 28th-ranked Dolman/Phillips.
WFU rallied from its 1-0 deficit, winning two quick singles matches as Bielik topped No. 45 Maria Phillips, 6-2, 6-2 at No. 1 and Bergman defeated Dominika Olszewska by an identical score at No. 2. Jackie Houston won her match at No. 4 by a 6-2, 6-2 score, but the Cowgirls picked up wins at No. 3 and 5 singles to even the match score at 3-3.
The match came down to No. 6 between Wake's Smith, a freshman, and OSU's Ashleigh Dolman. Smith dropped the first set, then found herself down 4-2 in the second before rallying to take the set in a tiebreaker. She then easily won the third set, clinching the match by a 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-2 score.
Wake advanced to the round of 16 with the tough task of taking on top-seeded Stanford. The Cardinal put the first score on the board by winning the doubles point with victories at No. 2 and 3 doubles. Wake's No. 2 duo of Haus and Smith gave the nation's second-ranked tandem of Laura Granville and Gabriela Lastra a close match, but fell 8-6. The Deacon duo of Houston and Elizabeth Proctor lost at No. 3, 8-3.
Stanford then clinched the match with wins at No. 3, No. 5, and No. 2 singles. Houston (No. 4) and Smith (No. 6) had taken their matches to a third set, while Bielik (No. 1) had dropped her first set and was in a tiebreaker in the second set when the match was called. The Cardinal went on to win the NCAA title.
Bergman, Bielik Earns NCAA Singles, Doubles Bids...
Wake Forest senior Janet Bergman and junior Bea Bielik both received bids to the singles bracket and will compete as a team for the doubles title as well.
Bielik is ranked second nationally in singles while Bergman is 20th, and as a duo, they currently check in at No. 2 in the doubles rankings. The Singles and Doubles Championships also take place in Stanford, Calif. from May 20-25. Seedings for both brackets will be announced at a later date.
Bergman will make her fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA singles championship, while Bielik will make her third straight. Bergman has not advanced past the second round in three previous trips, while Bielik set a new WFU benchmark by advancing to the semifinals last season. As a doubles team, they will make their third straight appearance in the NCAA Doubles Championship, after advancing to the quarterfinals the last two seasons.
Bielik Named ACC Player of the Year...
Wake Forest junior Bea Bielik was named the ACC Player of the Year, selected by a vote of the league's head coaches, in April. She is the first ACC Women's Tennis Player of the Year in WFU history and becomes the school's second such honoree in the 2001-02 season. Field hockey's Jemima Cameron was named ACC co-Player of the Year in the fall. Bielik's selection to the 2002 All-ACC team is also her third straight.
Bielik, ranked No. 1 nationally in both singles and doubles for most of the season, has compiled a 26-2 record in singles this season. She captured the National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships in the fall, and posted a 19-1 record in spring dual meets, including a 4-1 ACC mark at the No. 1 spot. Bielik's lone loss this spring came to Duke's Kelly McCain, when a sprained ankle forced her to retire in the second set. Over the course of the season Bielik has defeated 19 ranked opponents and was named ACC Player of the Week twice.
The Valley Stream, N.Y. native has also teamed up with Janet Bergman in doubles for the last three seasons to form one of the nation's top tandems. The duo was ranked No. 1 for most of this spring after appearing in the National Indoors finals in November. The tandem has posted a 19-1 dual match mark, including a 5-1 record in ACC matches, and is currently ranked No. 2 nationally.
With one more year of eligibility remaining, Bielik has already made her mark on the Deacon record book, as she ranks first on Wake's career singles winning percentage list, having won over 88 percent of her matches thus far (91-12). She is tied for fourth in career doubles wins with 90 victories, and third on the team doubles victories list after winning 73 matches with Bergman. In fact, the duo needs just two more wins to break the school record for doubles victories as a team in a single season (33).
Bergman Named All-ACC for the Fourth Time...
Wake senior Janet Bergman was named to the 2002 All-Atlantic Coast Conference team, her fourth consecutive selection to the squad. She sets a milestone in becoming just the second WFU playerto be named to the squad all four years of her career.
Hailing from Pinehurst, N.C., Bergman is Wake's all-time wins leader in both singles (126) and doubles (114), taking over the top spot in both categories during the course of this season. In singles, she's compiled a 25-11 mark and 16-6 dual match record this year, playing mainly at No. 2. She's been ranked as high as No. 12 during the 2001-02 season, and is currently listed at No. 22 in the singles rankings.
Bergman has compiled a 33-4 doubles mark this season, playing most of those matches with Bielik. In fact, she needs just three more victories this year to set the school single-season record for doubles wins (36).
Deacs in the Rankings...
After checking in the preseason rankings at No. 14, Wake Forest vaulted into the top 10 in mid-February and have remained there over the course of the season. The Deacs reached as high as No. 2 nationally (tying their highest ranking in school history) and are currently listed at No. 8.
Several individual Deacons are among the nation's top players as well. Junior Bea Bielik was ranked No. 1 in singles for most of the season before a sprained ankle forced her to retire against Duke's Kelly McCain on April 11. Bielik has played just one match since the injury (defeating UNC's No. 30 Marlene Mejia, 6-3, 6-0) and is currently No. 2 in the rankings. Bielik defeated the nation's current No. 1 player, Florida's Jessica Lehnhoff, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 on March 23.
Bielik and Janet Bergman were also ranked No. 1 in doubles for most of the season before falling, 9-7, to a duo from Duke on April 11. It was their first loss of the spring and just the third of the season. The duo is currently listed second in the rankings, behind Stanford's Lauren Kalvaria and Gabriela Lastra.
Bergman has been ranked among the top 25 in singles all season, reaching as high as No. 12. She is currently 20th. Freshman Katie Martzolf entered the rankings after the fall and is currently 94th in the nation.
Doubles Delight...
Perhaps the biggest difference between the 2001 and 2002 seasons is the Deacons' improvement in doubles. After winning just over 49 percent of its doubles matches last spring, the squad has won 70 percent (51 of 73) doubles matches in dual meets this year. The Deacs also improved from a .522 winning percentage in ACC doubles matches last season to a .792 percentage (19-5 record) this spring.
Wake has won the doubles point in 18 of 26 matches (69 percent) and owns a 17-1 overall record when taking that point.
Home Sweet Home...Indoors or Out
Wake Forest continues to enjoy a homecourt advantage, as its record over the past few years indicates. Over the last three seasons, the Deacs have posted a 28-2 mark in matches played at either Leighton Stadium or the WFU Indoor Center. Wake went 11-1 at home this season with its only loss coming to No. 3 Florida on March 23 at Leighton.
Wake's 12 home matches were split evenly this year between Leighton's outdoor courts and the Indoor Center. The NCAA Regional will mark the first time this season the Deacs have played a dual match at the Upper Eight courts. In the 2000 NCAA Regional hosted by WFU, the Deacs went 2-0, also on the Upper Eight.
Bergman the Record-Breaker...
Wake Forest senior Janet Bergman has rewritten the Wake record books during her Deacon career. This season she became WFU's all-time leader in both singles and doubles victories, with 126 singles wins and 114 doubles. Entering the NCAA Tournament, Bergman has already passed the previous singles recordholder, Terry Ann Zawacki, by 10 wins and is 20 victories ahead of Monica Kowalewski, the previous doubles leader.
Bergman also ranks third in career singles winning percentage (.741) while she and Bea Bielik rank third all-time in career doubles wins for a team (73).
She is also the second player in school history (Zawacki was the first) to be named to the All-ACC Team four times.
A Standout in the Classroom, the Court and the Studio...
Wake senior Maren Haus has not only been a success on the tennis court, she's earned accolades for her academics as well. Haus has been named to the WFU Dean's List every semester of her collegiate career. This spring she was honored with the ACC's Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship, and most recently she was named Wake's nominee for the ACC Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Athletics.
Haus, who will graduate with a degree in Studio Art, recently put a collection of her paintings on display at the "It's on Reynolda" Coffee House located on Reynolda Blvd.
Other Statistical Tidbits...
Wake Forest has reached the 20-win plateau for the sixth time in school history, and could break the record for wins in a season (24) set in 2000 ... counting individual matches from the fall and spring, the Deacons are 33-31 (.516) versus ranked opponents in singles and 13-9 (.591) against ranked doubles teams ... the doubles team of Janet Bergman and Bea Bielik needs just two more victories to set a single-season record for doubles wins (33) ... the Deacon duo also owns 73 career victories, which ranks third on Wake's all-time list ... only four players in school history rank among the top 10 on both the singles and doubles career list, and two are currently on the team - Janet Bergman and Maren Haus ... Bergman is first in both categories, while Haus is seventh in singles and ninth in doubles ... Bea Bielik needs just four more singles victories to rank on both lists as well.
