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1998 NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP
May 21-29
Courtney Tennis Center
University of Notre Dame
May 26th Quotes (Singles rounds of 32 and 16)
Vanessa Castellano (Georgia) (9-16 seed), 7-6, 6-2 loser to Stephanie Nickitas (Florida): "I think I had my chances in the first set when I came back from down 5-2 and I led 6-5, but she played really well, so I have to give her credit. Its the NCAAs so any player you meet has a chance to beat you."
On the hot weather: "I don't think its the heat, its more playing last week (in the team tournament). I have played a lot of matches. I'm hurting right now."
Martina Nedalkova (Virginia Commonwealth) 7-5, 2-6, 7-5 winner over Agnes Muzamel (Mississippi) (9-16 seed): "Agnes played really good, because she had nothing to lose in the third set when I was up 5-1. I made some mistakes, but luckily I corrected them in time to win the match."
On her upcoming match: "Physically and mentally I'll be ready. I'm pretty fit but I'm a little sluggish because of a bad Achilles tendon."
Anges Muzamel (Mississippi) (9-16 seed) 5-7, 6-2, 5-7 loser to Martina Nedalkova (Virginia Commonwealth): "Martina was really tough out there today. She put balls in play that other players can't return. I thought after I got the second set, I would turn it around, but Martina bounced back and finished up strong."
On her overall performance in the tournament: "I'm a little disappointed that I didn't advance farther in both the doubles and singles competition. I'm happy that our team made a good showing. Hopefully next year will be the year for Courtney and I to get to the finals of the doubles tournament."
Ania Bleszynski (Stanford) 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) winner over Cristina Moros (Texas) (9-16 seed): "I served well, and that helped me a lot. I knew that I had to stay in the match even if I was losing because she is kind of an off and on player. This was my last NCAA tournament, and I didn't want to go down without trying. At 3-5 in the third set, I just tried to push on, and she missed a few, and I got back into it. At the beginning of the tie breaker, I told myself, 'Don't be nervous, just go for the shots,' and my forehand winner on the first point of the tie breaker really helped me out, and I was okay from there on out."
On becoming an All-American again: "It's nice because I was my first two years, and I wasn't last year. I kind of reasserted myself this year. That was one thing which I thought about during the second set, and it kept me going. It's nice, but it's just a title."
Cristina Moros (Texas) (9-16 seed) 7-5, 2-6, 6-7 (3-7) loser to Ania Bleszynski (Stanford): "A tie breaker in the third is probably the worst way you can lose. I played pretty well. She served unbelievably, and I couldn't do much with her serve. Once I got into the point, I tried to play aggressively, but it was just a matter of getting that return back. In the end, she just played a little bit better than I did. She picked up her game a little, and there was really nothing else I could do."
On playing her last collegiate singles match: "Before yesterday, your whole season is based on the team competition, so I felt like my real last match was when we lost to Florida. This is just a tournament which started my summer, and I just wanted to play well here."
Amanda Augustus (California) (Third seed) 6-4, 6-3 winner over Martina Nedalkova (Virginia Commonwealth): "I think I was a little nervous this morning. It usually takes me a little bit to warm up in the mornings. This afternoon I was ready to go and was concentrated on playing every point."
(On the weather): "This morning it wasn't bad, but right now it is really hot. Unfortunately I still have a doubles match, so it doesn't get better for me. I'll just have to rest a little bit and be focused for our match."
Julie Scott (Stanford) (9-16 seed) 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 winner over Anoushlka Van Exel (Tulsa): "It was really helpful for me to get my first match of the day out of the way quickly because with three matches, it's always good to have a quick first one. If I had a long first match today, I think that it would have affected me. Van Exel was really tough. The first set she was dictating the play and was not missing at all. I realized what I was doing wasn't working, so I started attacking and dictating play a little more and forced her to make some more errors."
On her comeback: "I guess it shows me that you are never out of a match. You can lose the first set and be down 1-3 in the second, but you just have to stay focused and remain confident, and everything will turn out okay."
Reka Cseresnyes (Arizona State) (9-16 seed) 3-6, 1-6 loser to Vanessa Webb (Duke) (4 seed): "I was playing pretty well, but her serve was really dominant. Once I got broke, I just couldn't break back. That was the deciding factor. If you don't hold serve here, you'll have a hard time coming back. I was playing well; I was playing fine. Once I got into the point, most of the time I was controlling the point, but her serve was just too dominant. Webb served well and played well. I wish her luck."
On her season: "It was really good. I had a lot of fun; it was a good season for my senior year. I had some really good wins, but I would much rather still be playing.
Vanessa Webb (Duke) (4 seed) 6-3, 6-1 winner over Reka Cseresnyes (Arizona State) (9-16 seed): "Today I felt better than I did yesterday; a lot less tired, and I've been serving very well, and that's just been carrying me. I was a little bit better prepared for this match because I knew that Reka was a good player. I thought that she was really tough in the beginning, and then there were a lot of loose points, and that really saved me. She had some put-away balls that she missed, and I think she lost a little bit of confidence and focus when she missed them.
On her next match: "I've never seen her (Yana Dorodnova) play before. You just have to play the ball; I just have to play my game at this point. If I play my game and impose my game on someone else, everything should just take care of itself."
Mirela Vladulescu (UAB) (1 seed), 6-4,4-6, 7-5 winner over Stephanie Nickitas (Florida):
On her ability to comeback: "I never give up and, I always believe that I can win. I try to think that my opponent is not as good as she is so that I am more confident of myself during a match. I still know that they are good other wise they would not be here. This is just a way that I mentally prepare myself for a match."
(On not playing in the team competition: "There were definite advantages and disadvantages to not plain the team competition. The advantage was that I did not have to play as many matches as the rest of the girls who were in the competition. I also have gotten to rest a lot more than the girls that played in the team tournament. The disadvantage was that I have not got as much game practice as they did. Now I feel that I have gotten enough practice to finish the rest of the tournament."
Ania Bleszynski (Stanford) 6-2, 6-1 winner over Holly Parkinson (Brigham Young) (Seventh seed): "I think I played well. I think I had the game in hand at my pace. I forced her to go from baseline to baseline and try to tire her out. I served well and played a lot better than I did this morning."
(On playing three matches today): "I feel fine. I'm kind of surprised that I'm not as tired as I am. It's not as hot as the NCAA's a few years back, but it's still hot. I think it won't be that bad going into the doubles match with Teryn."
Kristina Kraszewski (Washington) (9-16 seed) 1-6, 6-1, 6-1 winner over Lioudmila Skavronskaia (Miami): "It took me a little while to adjust because I think I was a little intimidated by her. She (Lioudmila Skavronskaia) has a huge serve and her game is different than anything I have seen before. It took me awhile to get used to her game and once I did she just played into my hands."
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