LA MIRADA, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific tennis teams competed at the ITA Regional Tournament from September 25^th to the 27^th. The Sunbirds made a lasting impression at the tournament, making headway in the competition and breaking milestones. True freshman Fabiana Gonzalez was a finalist in the women's singles championship, marking her daring debut as a Sunbird.

"In my four years here, I don't remember a true freshman (men or women) ever making it to the championship match. It's a testament not only to her skill level but also her level of conditioning and her mental fortitude," said head coach Sam Gaeddert.

On the men's side, the dynamic duo Cedric Kaufmann (Jr.) and Joaquin Salinas (So.) qualified for the men's doubles semifinals. Freshman Tim Bangert and Emilio Seelbach did their best in the round of 32 singles. Also, the proven pair Seelbach and Jordi Gonzalez made it in the first round of doubles.

The women's team truly left their mark at the ITA West Regional Tournament. No. 2 seeded doubles pair Jessica McLean (Fr.) and Yume Ueoku (Jr.) made the women's doubles quarterfinals, along with fellow sunbirds Fabiana Gonzalez and Halle Faherty. No. 6 seed Ueoku also qualified for the quarterfinals in singles, and Gonzalez battled her way through 5 rounds and 5 straight singles wins to compete in the regional championship match in hopes of earning an automatic bid to Nationals. In her singles draw, Gonzalez went against five Top PacWest juniors (one of them a DI transfer - two others transferring in from top DII programs), and one decorated senior in the final match. She did not drop a set until the semifinal match, and she had multiple set points in the final. In the end, she fell to experienced PLNU senior Alina Kupfer.

"Truly, I couldn't be happier with how our men's and women's players competed at this year's ITAs," said Gaeddert. "FPU should be proud of how each of our athletes represented our University, both with their attitudes and with their high level of tennis. I think we showed the conference, west region, and the broader NCAA Division II programs across the country that both of our squads will be tough matchups this spring. The future is very bright here for FPU tennis."

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