May 23, 2008

TULSA, Okla. - The California women's tennis team concluded the 2007-08 season today, falling in two matches at the 2008 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Singles and Doubles Championships at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Okla. The Golden Bears completed the team dual season as the runners-up for the NCAA Team Championship, falling to No. 7 UCLA, 4-0, last Tuesday.

No. 40-ranked singles player, junior Claire Ilcinkas made her way through three rounds of play and faced No. 8 Riza Zalameda of UCLA today in the round of 16. Ilcinkas was able to gain a one-set lead, beating Zalaemda by a 6-4 count in the first. Zalameda however, came back to take the second set by a 6-2 count. Tied at three in the third and deciding set, it was Zalameda who would pull away to claim a 6-4 third-set win, moving on to the NCAA Singles Championship quarterfinal. Ilcinkas completes the year with 35 singles wins; a team high. Ilcinkas also holds Cal's best winning percentage with only nine singles losses.

In the doubles championship, Cal's No. 12-ranked duo of seniors Susie Babos and Stephanie Kusano were able to advance to the round of 16 but fell today to No. 5-ranked Amanda Fink and Gabriela Niculescu of USC in two sets, 6-3, 7-5. Babos and Kusano finish the year with a 24-16 overall record together.

For more information, complete results and scores from the 2008 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Singles and Doubles Championships, please visit University of Tulsa's Tournament Central Page.

Singles First Round Results
No. 40 Claire Ilcinkas (Cal) def. Csilla Borsanyi (Florida) 6-3, 6-2
No. 25 Zuzana Zemenova (Baylor) def. No. 4 Marina Cossou (Cal) 6-4, 6-1
No. 53 Lauren Lui (Northwestern) def. No. 20 Susie Babos (Cal) 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(1)
Katarina Tsang (North Carolina) def. No. 35 Cristina Visico (Cal) 7-5, 6-3

Singles Second Round Results
No. 40 Claire Ilcinkas (Cal) def. No. 10 Kristi Miller (Georgia Tech) 7-5, 0-6, 6-4

Singles Round of 16 Results
No. 8 Riza Zalameda (UCLA) def. No. 40 Claire Ilcinkas (Cal) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4

Doubles First Round Results
No. 12 Babos/Kusano (Cal) def. No. 35 Gantcheva/Nedeltcheva (UNLV) 6-3, 6-2

Doubles Round of 16 Results
No. 5 Fink/Niculescu (USC) def. No. 12 Babos/Kusano (Cal) 6-3, 7-5