Trojans
advance to finals at MT Fall Classic
Sept. 24, 2002
Senior Juan Carlos Baca and Junior Julietta Lillo each earned regional
rankings by the ITA in the first poll released by the Intercollegiate
Tennis Association.
Juan Carlos Baca earned the 23rd spot in the South Central Regional
poll. Baca's strong showing at the 2002 Omni Hotels Region VI South
Central Championships had a large roll in his being ranked.
Baca advanced to the round of 16 at the tournament, earning
a bye in the first round with a 17th seed in the tournament, he then
defeated Michael Innerebner of Texas Tech 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the second
round. Baca then defeated
Pepe Mendoza of TCU 6-3, 6-3 in the round of 32.
Baca's run ended in the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-1 loss to
Alex Menichini of TCU.
"I think it is a
reflection of the hard work and dedication Juan Carlos has showed in
improving his game over the past few years," head tennis coach Tommy
McDonald said.
Julietta Lillo was ranked 17th in the Southwest Region by the ITA and also
used a strong showing at the regional tournament to earn her
ranking.
Julietta Lillo advanced to the round of 16 of the main draw at the
2002 Omni Hotels Southwest Championships held in Fort Worth, Texas.
Lillo started her impressive run with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Velvet Canada
of Texas A&M. Lillo then advanced to the round of 32 with a 6-4,
6-7, 6-0 victory over Annemarie Lenze of Texas-Arlington and moved on to
the round of 16 by upsetting fifth seeded Paty Aburto of TCU 6-1,
6-3. Her run ended with a 6-4, 7-6 loss to ninth seeded Rocio
Fantilli of LSU.
"Julietta has put a lot of hard work into getting back to the
level she was before her serious injury two years ago,"
McDonald said.
McDonald hopes this is a springboard for a successful spring season for
both Trojan tennis teams. "I am very excited for both athletes
being ranked for the first time. This is the first step in acheiving
a na
