2002 NCAA Women's Tennis Championships

Singles Brackets: Updated Schedule (pdf) | All Times in PT (Pacific Time)

Championship Match Notes
Bea Bielik becomes first player in the history of Wake Forest womens tennis to capture the NCAA singles championship Prior to Bielik, who reached the semifinals last year and the third round in 2000, no Wake Forest player had advanced beyond the quarterfinals Bieliks 6-2, 6-0 victory in the singles final on Saturday last just 51 minutes. Her 6-1, 6-0 semifinal triumph over Stanfords Erin Burdette on Friday took 53 minutes to complete Bielik lost just 21 games in her six NCAA Singles victories, setting a record for fewest games lost in a championship. The previous mark was 22 by Stanfords Laura Granville in 2000 Bielik becomes the second Atlantic Coast Conference player to win the NCAA Singles title (the only previous winner was Dukes Vanessa Webb in 1998) Bielik concludes the 2002 campaign with a 35-2 overall mark Lehnhoff was playing in her first career singles final. She advanced to the semifinals in 2000 and the second round in 2001 Lehnhoff wraps up her senior year with a 35-4 ledger and concludes her collegiate career at 136-25 Lehnhoff, a seven-time All-American, captured three Grand Slam titles, including the 2001 NCAA Doubles crown Her combined 250 singles and doubles victories ranks fourth all-time in Florida womens tennis history.

Championship Match Quotes---

No. 1 seed Bea Bielik, Wake Forest (d. Floridas Jessica Lehnhoff 6-2, 6-0 in NCAA singles championship)---
"I played a really good tournament, and Im playing better every tournament. I played a really good match today."

"Its been a long year. Ive put in a lot of work since the end of last year. I tried to keep things in perspective during the match, but when the last ball was hit I started to feel the emotion."

"Bringing the trophy back to Wake Forest is definitely satisfying. This is for Brian (Fleishman, Wake Forest head coach). His dedication and hard work have gotten me here today."

Wake Forest Head Coach Brian Fleishman---
"Bea is just so competitive; she hates to lose. She is so big and strong that it gives her an edge over her opponent. Last year she realized she ran out of steam in the tournament, so she really made an effort to work out and condition herself for this season."

No. 3 seed Jessica Lehnhoff, Florida (NCAA singles championship runner-up)---
"This was a true test for me. I just tried to give it all I had. She played a great match today and that was the difference. I was a little low on energy but I cant complain because I was close to being out of the tournament in my last couple matches. I fought hard today but it just wasnt enough."

"Im not the type of player that is overconfident. I know everyone is here to fight and capable of going deep into the tournament. I was able to come through it. Its sad for the season to end like this, but at the same time she played a great match and I did everything I could."

"I have had a really great career and there is a lot to proud of. Ive had a great time with the coaches and my teammates and am thankful for all the support."

Semifinal Notes ---

Saturdays NCAA Singles Final (noon start time) will match top-seeded Bea Bielik of Wake Forest and third-seeded Jessica Lehnhoff of Florida both posted straight set singles victories Bielik defeated No. 9-16 seed Erin Burdette of Stanford 6-1, 6-0, while Lehnhoff topped No. 9-16 seed Gabriela Lastra of Stanford 6-4, 6-2 Bielik is the first player in the history of Wake Forest womens tennis to reach the NCAA Singles Final Prior to Bielik, who reached the semifinals last year and the third round in 2000, no Wake Forest player had advanced beyond the quarterfinals Bielik has lost just 19 games in her five NCAA Singles victories The record for fewest games lost in a championship is 22, which was set by Stanfords Laura Granville in 2000 Bielik is also shooting to become just the second Atlantic Coast Conference player to win the NCAA Singles title (the only previous winner was Dukes Vanessa Webb in 1998) Lehnhoff, who advanced to the semifinals in 2000 and the second round in 2001, advances to the NCAA Final for the first time in her career Lehnhoff is aiming to become Floridas fifth NCAA Singles Champion, and first since Jill Craybas in 1996 Ironically, the last time Florida had a player advance to the NCAA Final was also at Stanford, as M.C. White accomplished the feat in 1997 before falling to the Cardinals Lillia Osterloh Bielik leads the all-time series with Lehnhoff 2-1 The Wake Forest junior prevailed 7-5, 6-2 on March 5, 2000 and 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 on March 23rd of this season Lehnhoffs victory came on October 12, 2001 at the Riviera All-American as the Florida senior led 6-1, 4-0 before Bielik retired due to injury Lehnhoff is 35-3 this season, while Bielik is 34-2 Lehnhoff is currently ranked first in the nation while Bielik is second Stanford, which had two NCAA Singles semifinalists for the third straight year, will not send a player to the NCAA Final for the first time since 1998 Burdette, who is just a freshman, finishes her season at 43-7 Lastra concludes her career with a 136-37 singles mark, including a 41-8 record this season.

Semifinal Quotes---

No. 1 seed Bea Bielik, Wake Forest (d. Erin Burdette, Stanford, 6-1, 6-0)---
"I really didnt know what to expect going into todays match. Just like the last couple matches, I had a game plan in mind and played pretty well. I feel like Im 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 doesnt matter who you are playing; at this point you just go out there and play the ball, not the player."

"Id love to bring the title back to Wake Forest. I think as a school we get respect in the tennis world, but not necessarily arouSnd the country. It would be a great honor."

No. 3 seed Jessica Lehnhoff (d. Gabriela Lastra, Stanford, 6-4, 6-2)---
"Im so excited right now. Mentally and physically, Im very fatigued but I just keep telling myself to reach down and try everything I can. This match could have been my last college match so I just wanted to go out on top."

"The plan was to keep it going with forehand-to-forehand rallies, then go back to her (Lastra) backhand. I just wanted to move the ball around against her today."

No. 9-16 seed Gabriela Lastra, Stanford---
"I knew that she (Lehnhoff) is a grind-it-out type of player. I think that if I had been able to get my backhand in a little more I could have moved her around. She was hitting balls at my feet though so it would have been tough."

"Its kind of funny I had to play her (Lehnhoff) in my last match. Weve played so many times and shes such a great player. I may see her again somewhere down the road, but I couldnt have asked for a better way to finish my college career."

"The crowd has been great all week. Theyve helped everyone on our team and have been a great inspiration to us whenever we are down in a match."

No. 9-16 seed Erin Burdette, Stanford---
"She hits a really good ball and I just never got used to it. 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."

"This has been a great season and I have nothing to be ashamed of. I came in to this week not knowing what to expect, but this has really been great. I am very pleased with my first season."

Quarterfinal Notes ---

Top-seeded Bea Bielik of Wake Forest and No. 9-16 seed Gabriela Lastra of Stanford continued their impressive post-season runs with straight set quarterfinals wins on Thursday Bielik defeated unseeded ACC rival Kate Pinchbeck of North Carolina 6-2, 6-4, and the Wake Forest junior has dropped only 18 games in her four NCAA Singles Championship victories Bielik is making her second trip to the NCAA Singles Semifinals in as many years Lastra, a No. 9-16 seed, posted her fourth consecutive straight set victory by defeating No. 9-16 seed Vilmarie Castellvi of Tennessee 6-2, 7-5 Lastra has also dropped only 18 games in her four victories Lastra is joined in the semis by freshman teammate Erin Burdette Stanford has now had two semifinalists in each of the last three years Burdette, who is also a No. 9-16 seed, outlasted unseeded Adria Engel of Arizona State 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 Third-seeded Jessica Lehnhoff of Florida rounds out the final four, as she defeated seventh-seeded Jewel Peterson of Southern California 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 Lehnhoff, who also reached the quarterfinals in 2000, is making her first career appearance in the semifinals The final four is composed of two seniors (Lastra and Lehnhoff), a junior (Bielik) and a freshman (Burdette) Fridays semifinal pairings are Bielik vs. Burdette and Lastra vs. Lehnhoff Both matches begin at noon at the Taube Tennis Center.

Quarterfinal Quotes ---

No. 1 seed Bea Bielik, Wake Forest (d. Kate Pinchbeck, North Carolina, 6-2, 6-4) ---
"I started off playing a little tight today. Overall, I think my game is really coming together and improving with each match. Right now Im just trying to put everything together for tomorrow."

No. 3 seed Jessica Lehnhoff, Florida (d. No. 7 seed Jewel Peterson, Southern California, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5) ---
"It seems like every match Ive played here has been a comeback. This tournament is all about who wants it more and who stays in strong in the moment of each point. I never really felt like I had the momentum at any point in the match."

No. 9-16 seed Gabriela Lastra, Stanford (d. No. 9-16 seed Vilmarie Castellvi, Tennessee, 6-2, 7-5) ---
"I played her back in January at the National Collegiate Classic in Las Vegas so Im familiar with her style of play. She gets a lot of balls back and wears you down. Today I was focused on trying not to make too many mistakes and stay patient throughout the match."

No. 9-16 seed Erin Burdette, Stanford (d. Adria Engel, Arizona State, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3) --
We played against each other a couple weeks ago at Pac-10 Championships so I knew this match would be close. All of our games today were real close. I really didnt make too many mistakes in the second set- she just won points when she had to and got on a hot streak. When the third set came around, I just tried to start mixing it up a little more."

Round Of 16 Notes ---
Only four of the top eight seeds remain, after No. 6 seed Andrea Ondrisova of Viriginia Commonwealth and No. 8 seed Lauren Kalvaria of Stanford were upset in the round of 16 The quarterfinals will feature two unseeded players Adria Engel of Arizona State and Kate Pinchbeck of North Carolina Four players No. 1 seed Bea Bielik of Wake Forest, No. 3 seed Jessica Lehnhoff of Florida, No. 7 seed Jewel Peterson of Southern California and Engel are returning to the NCAA Singles Quarterfinals for the second time in their careers Bielik, however, is the only player to have advanced beyond the quarters, as she reached the semis a year ago Stanford lead the way with two quarterfinalists The Pacific-10 Conference has four of the eight quarterfinalists, while the Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference have two apiece.

Round Of 16 Quotes---

No. 1 seed Bea Bielik, Wake Forest (d. No. 9/16 seed Megan Bradley, UCLA, 6-1, 6-0) ---
"Today was more of a tactical match for me. I have to play a certain way to be effective and today I was able to execute in all areas of my game. Everything felt really good today. I just have to concentrate on playing percentage tennis."

No. 3 seed Jessica Lehnhoff, Florida (d. No. 9/16 seed Alice Pirsu, Pennsylvania, 6-1, 6-2) ---
"This was really a tough match and I had to stay in it mentally. I was really trying to stay focused on not starting slow. I was beginning to feel fatigued near the end a little bit, so I was trying to end the match and get off the court as quick as possible."

No. 9/16 seed, Gabriela Lastra, Stanford (d. No. 5 seed, Agata Cioroch, Georgia, 6-0, 6-4) ---
"I thought I came out very focused in todays match. Ive been watching her play lately and shes gone up against some good players in the tournament. I had played her at the Team Indoors earlier this season and she just crushed me (6-2, 6-0), so today I tried to take it one game at a time and everything else would take care of itself."

Adria Engel, Arizona State (d. No. 6 seed, Andrea Ondrisova, Virginia Commonwealth, 1-6, 7-6 (4), 6-1) ---
"I just tried to mix it up and take her out of her game by playing smart and not making any errors. I knew that if I kept staying focused I could come out on top. There were a lot of long points in the tiebreaker so I basically just tried to go for my shots."

Round Two Notes ---

Seeded players continued to enjoy success, as 12 of the 16 advanced to Wednesdays third round The only seeds to fall in round two were fourth-seeded Nataly Cahana of Old Dominion and No. 9-16 seed Maja Mlakar of Arizona Stanford leads the way with three players in the round of 16, while UCLA and Florida each have two The Pacific-10 Conference is represented by seven of the final 16, while the Southeastern Conference has four and the Atlantic Coast Conference has two.

Round Two Quotes ---

No. 1 seed Bea Bielik, Wake Forest (d. Kim Niggemeyer, Fresno State, 6-3, 6-2) ---
"(Niggemeyer) is the type of player that is going to get a ton of balls back. The first few games I was just trying to get a rhythm and a groove. I wasnt stepping up and taking balls early like I started to do late in the first set. I definitely stayed out there longer than I wanted to in the first five games, but then I started to find my rhythm."

No. 3 seed Jessica Lehnhoff, Florida (d. Marine Piriou, Northwestern, 7-5, 6-1) ---
"I felt ready. I just started slow (down 5-1 first set) because I am a little fatigued right now. I just focused on the little things. I tried to get it more to her backhand. I basically just stopped making errors and started playing smart."

Lindsay Dawaf, Florida (d. No. 4 seed Nataly Cahana, Old Dominion, 3-6, 6-4 6-3) ---
"In the first set I definitely played defensively. I wasnt aggressive, and was missing shots I probably shouldnt have. In the second set I just played more aggressively and turned the match around. I just started playing one point at a time."

No. 5 seed Agata Cioroch of Georgia (d. Alicia Pillay, Tulsa, 6-0, 6-1) ---
"I felt that I played well today. My forehand was working very well, and my backhand too. I didnt make many mistakes today --- I just played well. The rain delay didnt affect me at all. I was ready to play today. I will do well in my next match if I play like I did today."

Round One Notes ---

Fourteen of the 16 seeds advanced through the first round ... The only seeds to fall in the first round were No. 2 Kelly McCain of Duke and No. 9-16 Sarah Riske of Vanderbilt ... Stanford had three first round winners, while Florida, Fresno State, North Carolina, Southern California, UCLA and Wake Forest had two apiece ... Nine of the 32 matches began on Monday before being suspended by rain, while the other 23 matches began on Tuesday.

Round One Quotes ---
No. 1 seed Bea Bielik, Wake Forest (d. Susanna Lingman, Harvard, 6-4, 6-2) ---
"I thought I hit the ball well of the ground today. Since it was my first match after team championships, I wasn't really as fresh. I was able to adjust to the courts after I got started, but there is still room for improvement."

Katarina Markovski, South Carolina (d. No. 2 seed Kelly McCain, Duke, 6-1, 5-7, 7-5) ---
"I think that my experience helped me out very much today. I was down at times but able to come back. I just told myself to play like it was my last match."

No. 3 seed Jessica Lehnhoff, Florida (d. Anda Perianu, Oklahoma, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4) ---
"Its all about wanting it and playing with your heart. I just had to reach down deep and really believe that I could win. Right now in this tournament its about who wants it more."

No. 4 seed Nataly Cahana, Old Dominion (d. Linda Faltynkova, Oklahoma State, 6-4, 6-0) ---
"The beginning of the match really started off slow. It's been a long time in between matches also. It always feels good to get that first match out of the way because it can be the hardest."

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