Alena Jecminkova Set To Open Play In NCAA Tournament
May 19, 2002 | Tennis
May 19, 2002
MANHATTAN, Kan. - After waiting just over two weeks, Kansas State's Alena Jecminkova will play in her third consecutive NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Singles Championship on Monday, May 20 at 10 a.m. PT at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium at Stanford University in Stanford, Calif.
Jecminkova, who played No. 1 singles and posted an overall record of 17-12 this season, including 8-3 in the Big 12 and 13-7 in dual matches, will play Raquel Kops-Jones of California. Kops-Jones, No. 22 in the May 1 Omni Hotels Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll, posted a 26-17 record at No. 1 singles for the Lady Bears. The sophomore was named second team All-Pacific 10 this season after garnering Pac-10 Freshman of the Year honors in 2001.
Should Jecminkova advance to the second round she would play either Marlene Mejia of North Carolina or No. 9 Alice Pirsu of Pennsylvania at 10 a.m. PT on Tuesday. A victory would also make Jecminkova only the second Wildcat in program history to advance past the first round. Yana Dorodnova reached the third round in the 1998 NCAA Championships.
Jecminkova is the first player in Wildcat history to qualify for three NCAA Singles Championships and she is just the third Kansas State player ever to qualify for the tournament. Karina Kuregian (1995) and Dorodnova (1998) are the others. Jecminkova lost to Colleen Cheng of Northwestern, 7-5, 6-2 in the opening round of last year's tournament in Stone Mountain, Ga. Cheng finished the season ranked No. 37.
