For the second straight year, and in as many seasons as the new women's tennis program has been in existence, the Cal State Stanislaus Warriors are heading back to the NCAA West Regionals.
Once again, the Warriors earned the No. 4 seed in the West Region and will face top seed and No. 3 ranked BYU Hawaii in Oahu. The first round match is scheduled for 2 p.m. Hawaii Time on Thursday in Laie, Hawaii, on the campus of BYUH.
The 19th-ranked Warriors, led by Verena Preikschas, Vanesa Reibstein and Katie Eng, hope the outcome would be a little different. An upset win would mean a trip to the 16-team NCAA Championship tournament in Altamonte Springs, Fla., May 12-15.
Last year, the Warriors lost to BYUH, 5-0. BYUH was ranked No. 1 then.
In 2010, the Seasiders are 28-0 and are coming off another Pacific West Conference championship. They are led by Elwin Li and Yuan Jia, the No. 1 and No. 3 ranked singles player in the country, respectively. The duo is also the nation's top ranked doubles team.
The Warriors are 8-5 going into the postseason with three losses to Division I programs and the other two to UC San Diego in closely contested matches. Cal State Stanislaus had an opportunity to win the conference with a win at La Jolla in the season finale before dropping a 6-3 decision to the Tritons.
CCAA champion UC San Diego is the No. 3 seed in the region and will travel to Oahu to face Hawaii Pacific. Earlier this season BYU Hawaii defeated UC San Diego, 9-0.
Warriors golf looks to return to nationals
To some, it may be the NCAA West Regional Championship tournament. To the Warriors, it is another spring event, except a return trip to the NCAA national tournament is on the line.
The Cal State Stanislaus men's golf team is making its annual postseason trip, starting with the West/Northwest Super Regionals at Palm Desert's Classic Club. The three-round tournament, hosted by Cal State San Bernardino, starts on Monday with the Warriors entering as the No. 2 ranked team in the West.
Chico State, CCAA champion Cal State Monterey Bay, Sonoma State and Cal State San Bernardino are also among the 10 teams to qualify.
The top five teams and the top two student-athletes not with a team from each regional (regardless of region) will advance to the finals May 18-21 at The Sagamore Club in Noblesville, Ind. The finals will be hosted by the Indiana Sports Corporation, the University of Indianapolis, the Great Lakes Valley Conference and the Hamilton County Sports Authority.
The Stanislaus lineup has not changed much due to the consistent play of all five athletes. All-CCAA players Brandon Taylor and Trevor Blair lead the way for the Warriors as they hope to make a return to the national tournament. Also competing are Teddy Schrier, J.T. Cockerill and Joseph Stewart. It will be a homecoming for Stewart, a freshman from Palm Desert.
Stanislaus softball players earn conference selections
Cal State Stanislaus third baseman Erica McIntyre has been named to the All-CCAA First team. Pitcher/first baseman Jennifer Arnold made the second team.
McIntyre, who was a second team selection in 2009, was voted on to the first team as an alternative selection by the head coaches as the senior from Fairfield batted .326 with six doubles, four triples, two home runs and 21 runs batted in. She also posted a slugging percentage of .471 and an on-base percentage of .457 with 11 stolen bases.
Arnold was a utility player selection as both a pitcher and first baseman. In 2010, she batted. 273 with a team-best six home runs, 10 doubles, a triple and drove in 16 runs. Arnold led the team with a slugging percentage of .508 and an on-base average of .415. In the circle, the senior from Ceres was 6-14 with a 3.81 ERA. This is the fourth consecutive time that Arnold has made the All-CCAA second team.
