WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 1999

49ers aced out

By Troy Fresch

On-Line Forty-Niner

The Long Beach State tennis team finished its season with a 5-4 loss against Cal Poly at the 1999 Big West Championships in Ojai on Wednesday.

Big West seeds five through 12 played in the preliminary matches on Wednesday, and there were no upsets.

The 49ers finished a difficult regular season with a 3-19 record, and entered the Big West Championships ranked tenth. They played seventh-ranked Cal Poly in a close match that required all three doubles matches played.

After losing both number one and two singles matches, the 49ers went on to win the next three singles matches. The Beach's No. 3 player, Connie Burggraf defeated Stephanie Westrich easily, 6-2, 6-3. No. 4 Judy Esmero also won easily against Cal Poly's Erica Nelson. The Beach's No. 5 player, Jessica Perico, lost her first set, 6-3, but went on to win the next two, 6-3, 6-3. The team looked strong until No. 6 Melissa Hlebasko lost to Jennifer Azevedo, 3-6, 2-6.

The 49ers were tied 3-3 after singles and needed two doubles wins to advance to the second round on Thursday. They had their eyes on second round play when The Beach's No. 1 doubles team of Asis and Burggraf defeated Danielle Brandlin and Stephanie Westrich of Cal Poly, 8-6.

There were no upsets on Thursday either as the top four seeded teams advanced to the semifinals. Top-seeded UC Santa Barbara, making a bid to regain the championship it last won in 1996, defeated eighth-seeded Cal State Fullerton, 5-1. The Gauchos took care of the Titans with no need to play any doubles matches.

After defeating the 49ers on Wednesday, seventh-seeded Cal-Poly lost to second-seeded UC Irvine, 1-5. Third-seeded Pacific defeated sixth seeded Boise State, the defending champion, 5-2, and fourth-seeded New Mexico State, despite losing number one and two singles, defeated fifth-seeded Idaho, 5-2.