May 7, 2005

Indianapolis, IN - When the NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Subcommittee selected the 64 singles players that will compete in the 2005 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships, Pepperdine freshman Bianca Dulgheru found her name among the nation's elite. Dulgheru checks into the current Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll as the 29th-ranked player in Division I.

The Bucharest, Romania native amassed a 19-2 dual match singles record in 2005 climbing from a No. 86 ranking in early March. As the Waves compiled a 14-8 overall record and claimed a third straight West Coast Conference (WCC) championship, Dulgheru was awarded with WCC "Freshman of the Year" honors. She was also tabbed the WCC's "Player of the Month" two out of the three times that the award has been given this year, in February, and more recently in April.

Dulgheru served fair warning to those taking notice in the fall season as she bested the 64-woman field at the Women's Fall Desert Classic in Palm Springs, Calif. in November.

Dulgheru is one of 17 at-large selections into the tournament from the stacked Western Region, behind the four automatic qualifiers. Amber Liu of Stanford leads the draw, in an attempt to defend the crown she won in 2004.

The singles and doubles competition will be conducted May 23-28 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Georgia, following the conclusion of the team championship (May 19-22). The University of Georgia will serve as host.

Pepperdine will look to qualify for team championships when they face Mississippi State in Atlanta on May 13. Host Georgia Tech will square off against Winthrop in the other first round match.