May 13, 2003

After sweeping through its final five regular-season matches and two Patriot League Championship contests, the Army women's tennis team finally ended up on the losing end of a score, falling to fourth-seeded California 4-0 in the first round of the NCAA Women's Tennis Championships at the Texas A&M Tennis Center.

The Bears opened the match by winning a pair of doubles matches to claim the doubles point. Marissa Limsiaco and Melanie Bundoc, playing at No. 2 doubles, put up the best fight, but lost 8-3 to Jody Scheldt and Jieun Jacobs. Lauren Leftin and Lyndsey Nott then fell 8-1 to Nicole Havlicek and Catherine Lynch at No. 3.

Senior captain Annie Collier and Megan Noble were trailing 7-2 to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Doubles Team of the Month for April, Raquel Kops-Jones and Christina Fusano, at the time the Bears won the doubles point. In the postseason, doubles play is stopped once a team wins the doubles point. The winner of the match is declared when one team reaches four points.

Cal won the three singles matches it needed to win the match before the Black Knights could claim one, but Army did not back down from the 22-time NCAA participant until the final set was won.

The Black Knights dropped the first set in four of the six singles matches by 6-0 scores, but stormed back to win at least one point in all six second sets.

The first singles match completed was at No. 6, where Havlicek defeated Nott 6-0, 6-1. The loss dropped Nott to 14-12 on the season and ended her personal six-match winning streak. The win improved Havlicek's season mark to 30-8.

Collier, playing her final match in an Army uniform, then lost 6-0, 6-2 to Christina Fusano at No. 2. Collier ended the season with an 18-15 mark, but holds the career singles wins record, totaling 88 in her stellar four-year career.

California then clinched the shutout with a 6-2, 6-1 victory by Raquel Kops-Jones over Marissa Limsiaco at No. 1. The win was the 38th of the season for the junior. Limsiaco completed her outstanding sophomore year with a 21-14 record in singles play.

The most impressive showing for the Black Knights came in a match that was not completed. Playing at No. 5, Leftin pushed Scheldt to a 7-5 decision in the first set. The pair was tied 1-1 in the second set before play was halted. Also playing in matches that were not completed were Noble and Bundoc at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively. Noble trailed 6-0, 3-1 and Bundoc was behind by a 6-0, 4-1 tally.

Making its fourth NCAA appearance and first since 2001, Army has been shut out by a Pac-10 Conference team each year. In 1999 this same Cal team ousted the Black Knights 9-0. In 2000, Arizona State won 6-0 and in 2001 Washington was victorious by a 4-0 margin.

Army ends the season with a 17-7 overall record, tying its single-season record wins total set in 2002. Cal improved to 20-5 with the win and advances to Saturday's second round to face the winner of the Texas A&M versus LSU match.

Singles
1. Raquel Kops-Jones (C) def. Marissa Limsiaco - 6-2, 6-1
2. Christina Fusano (C) def. Annie Collier - 6-0, 6-2
3. Catherine Lynch (C) led Megan Noble - 6-0, 3-1 DNF
4. Jieun Jacobs (C) led Melanie Bundoc - 6-0, 4-1 DNF
5. Jody Scheldt (C) led Lauren Leftin - 7-5, 1-1 DNF
6. Nicole Havlicek (C) def. Lyndsey Nott - 6-0, 6-1

Doubles
1. Kops-Jones/Fusano (C) led Collier/Noble - 7-2 DNF
2. Scheldt/Jacobs (C) def. Limsiaco/Bundoc - 8-3
3. Havlicek/Lynch (C) def. Leftin/Nott - 8-1