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No bluffing with a pair of ‘Aces’

Bulldogs’ tennis duo ranked No. 2 nationally and have their eyes set on the finals

From the National Indoor Doubles Championships to the Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center at Fresno State, Anastasia Petukhova and Renata Kucerkova have taken a swing of dominance on courts they share.

The pair had success with being Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national champions, Northwest regional doubles champions, NCAA All-Americans, and first team All-Western Athletic Conference (WAC) selections in both singles and doubles.

They are currently ranked No. 2 in the national doubles rankings after beginning the spring tennis season ranked No. 8.

Their most recent accomplishment was winning the ITA National Indoor Doubles Championships in the fall of 2008, where they went 12-1 in the tournament as a pair.

Players started strong and “complement each other”

Known as “A.P.” to her coaches, teammates and friends, Petukhova believes that teaming with Kucerkova for the last couple of years has helped the duo.

“We have our strengths set up and we know how we should play against different types of players,” Petukhova said. “We always find something that we can do well against.”

Petukhova enjoyed success early during her freshman year by having a win-loss record of 24-3 in singles competition and 21-8 in doubles.

She ranked as high as No. 66 in the national singles ranks and was a first team All-WAC selection in both singles and doubles during the 2006-2007 tennis seasons.

Kucerkova also enjoyed success early in her Fresno State tennis career by winning the 2007 WAC Freshman of the Year, and posting a 23-4 record in doubles. She went 19-4 in singles competition.

“We’ve been playing together for a while and we complement each other,” Kucerkova said. “We’re good on defense and offense as well.”

Kucerkova says that people began warming up to her while at the ITA championship.

“When we went to nationals last semester, there were people who were nice to me a little bit, even people outside of the campus,” Kucerkova said.

Strong doubles a Thibodeau trait

Petukhova believes that even after the championship run at the ITA doubles championships, her and Kucerkova still find ways to improve.

“With every match we play, we get better,” Petukhova said.

Their coach, Simon Thibodeau, has had a good tradition of doubles during his five years at Fresno State, with a former number one pair: Melanie Gloria and Tinesta Rowe in 2008.

“We’ve been successful with our doubles,” Thibodeau said. “What they’re doing [Petukhova and Kucerkova] is very impressive.”

Thibodeau has coached seven All-Americans, seven players who have appeared in a national title match and five WAC championships for his women’s tennis team.

Thibodeau acknowledges that he’s had a role in the development of both Petukhova and Kucerkova.

“It’s a little bit of both, work ethic and coaching,” Thibodeau said. “They’ve always been steady at the back; their defensive skills are very strong, they run so fast, they’re playing faster and aggressive. They’re very good in every phase of their play.”

Thibodeau also notices that the two have found ways to improve themselves when they’re on the tennis court.

“They’ve improved the most with their offensive skill,” Thibodeau said. “They’re a little bit more aggressive at the net than they were when they first started playing together.”

Aiming high

The duo has one challenge left to conquer – the NCAA tournament, where the furthest their entire team has reached is the semifinals.

Kucerkova and Petukhova want to help their team get over the hump soon.

“Four years in a row, we made the sweet sixteen,” Petukhova said. “We want to go to the elite eight.”

Both Kucerkova and Petukhova are juniors, which means they still have one more year of Bulldog tennis left in them.

“I think now, the more nationals we win, the better,” Petukhova said.

Whether it’s claiming conference championships, ITA national championships, or just playing at a high level inside the Wathen Center, Kucerkova just wants to reach new heights with her teammate Petukhova.

“We want to go as far as we can,” Kucerkova said.

Check out the duo

The No. 15 tennis team plays at the Wathen Center on campus here at Fresno State, and the games are free for students. Check out the upcoming dates

• Feb. 28 v. Pacific
• March 11 v. Penn
• March 12 v. TCU
• March 14 v. Arizona
• March 15 v. Sac State

Men’s hoops picks up needed win without senior O’Neil

Mychal Ladd took advantage of all Houston Baptist’s weaknesses Wednesday night en route to his first career double-double as a Bulldog.


Ladd led four other members of the Fresno State team into double figures as the Bulldogs gained an easy 81-63 win over the Huskies to improve their record to 9-12 and 1-5 in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

“I felt good,” said Ladd. “I didn’t get to play much in the last game so I was just trying to do what I could to help the team.” 


The freshman guard had career highs in points (22), rebounds (10) to go along with his three assists.

“I thought Mychal played real well tonight,” said coach Steve Cleveland. “He was offensively around the rim at all times and just very aggressive.”


Freshmen step it up

Freshmen Paul George and Bryce Cartwright turned in solid performances, scoring 12 and 13 points respectively, and junior forward Sylvester Seay added 10. 


Brandon Sperling also had his best night of the season with 11 points, six rebounds and four assists. 

Sperling, also a freshman, started the game in place of senior guard Dwight O’Neil, who could not play due to family issues – his uncle passed away in a house fire earlier in the day. 


“This has been tough on Dwight,” said Cleveland. “But all the guys mentioned they were going to win this game for him.”


In dedicating the game to their teammate, the ’Dogs set the tone early with a Seay dunk to put the Bulldogs up 2-0.

Ladd took a while to warm up for his career-high night, scoring his first points of the game off a 3-pointer with 11:44 left in the first half.

But he was instrumental in catapulting a 17-4 run that gave the Bulldogs their largest lead of the game, 28 points, with 2:28 remaining in the half. 


Cleveland makes full use of team

“Going into a game like this you have to respect everyone and play with energy,” Cleveland said. “We gave everyone an opportunity to play, and that’s a good thing for our team at this time of year.”


Every member of the Bulldog squad played at least five minutes, and despite early setbacks to start the second half, they didn’t relinquish much.

The Huskies narrowed the gap to 16, with five minutes to play in the game, but the ’Dogs remained persistent to keep the win.

“We played with great energy and we were really unselfish with the ball,” Cleveland said.

However, the team has some fine-tuning prior to hosting the WAC’s first place team, Utah State, on Saturday night. 
Stopping turnovers will be a key, as Houston Baptist was able to capitalize on 11 of the Bulldogs 14 turnovers Wednesday.

Another area Cleveland is emphasizing for improvement is blocking out. Last time the ’Dogs faced Utah State they lost by a narrow margin, 65-61.

“Utah State is a great team and the level of competition will be different,” Cleveland said. “We have been in every conference game, and I still believe we have the ability to win those close games.”

Dwight O’Neil update

The senior guard is expected to practice today and be back in the lineup Saturday night against Utah State.

While O’Neil should be ready to play, he may be serving a different role with the team.

O’Neil is expected to come off the bench and contribute as a sixth man, rather than taking his usually starting role.

As a starter, he has averaged 12.8 points per game this season while managing to grab 4.5 rebounds a game. He leads the team in assists with 5.5 per game.

The Bulldogs have been without O’Neil twice this season, coming out on top both times.

O’Neil was suspended for the Bulldogs’ Jan. 22 game against Louisiana Tech because of inappropriate conduct.

Bulldog Game Day

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL | REDWAVE Podcast game of the week

Friday, Jan. 30, 7 p.m., Save Mart Center

Fresno State Bulldogs (13-6, 4-2 WAC) vs. San Jose State Spartans (2-17, 1-5 WAC)

Breakdown: Bulldogs

Coming off a convincing 71-45 victory last Friday at Hawaii, the Fresno State women’s basketball team has plenty of momentum to carry it past San Jose State tonight.

The Bulldogs are currently in second place in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), but head coach Adrian Wiggins’ team has the best overall record at 13-6.

Last season, the Bulldogs won the WAC and are on track to finish atop their conference again. If they can come out and play their game tonight, the Bulldogs should count on another conference victory and will be one game closer to catching up with first place Nevada.

Sophomore Jaleesa Ross is coming off a 15-point performance and should again lead her team tonight. Ross and the Bulldogs average 10 made 3-point field goals a game.

Tonight, if the long ball is falling and Ross is on, the Bulldogs win big.

Breakdown: Spartans

The Spartans haven’t been the WAC’s hottest team in 2009.

San Jose State has yet to win a game on the road this season and doesn’t have much hope in the near future. They are 0-8 away from the Event Center and a lowly 2-17 overall.

The Spartans are lead by guard Chasity Shavers and guard Natalie White. The guard combination are the only two players on the team to average double-digit points.

On average, the Spartans are outscored by almost 20 points a night and shoot only 35 percent from the field.

If the Bulldogs force the Spartans to shoot from the outside with a zone defense, San Jose State’s decrease quickly. The Spartans only shoot 29 percent from beyond the arc.

Expect the Bulldogs to pressure early and often, as San Jose State turns the ball over 23 times a game. To win, something has to change for the Spartans.

Keys to Victory

The Bulldogs win if …
…the real Bulldogs take the floor at the Save Mart Center tonight. San Jose State may be a rival, but this game should be done at half.

The Spartans win if …
…they can take away the fast break and slow the Bulldogs down. If Fresno State doesn’t hit a three in tonight’s contest, the Spartans will have a chance to win a road game.

By Logan Hopkins and George Stepanoff Jr. / The Collegian

Super Bowl XLIII preview

TAMPA, Fla. – Arguably the best player on the NFL’s best defense is a man who actually pauses and thinks before he talks, so when Troy Polamalu says something in his trademark soft voice, the words resonate importance.

And right now Polamalu is talking about the Arizona Cardinals offense and sounding worried.

“They would be tough for any defense especially a defense like us,” Polamalu says of the Cardinals. “If we had a Tampa 2 style of defense, we could give up 7 or 8 yards, every once in a while even give up a 15-yarder and it would be no problem. “But with us, we have a smothering mentality, so anytime you give up a big play, it’s hard to recover. And they can make big play after big play. It can be tough.”

It can be classic.

Super Bowl XLIII will attract hundreds of millions of viewers on Sunday, but keeping those eyes glued to the broadcast might be as simple as watching the Steelers defense and Cardinals offense do their thing.

Great matchup

It promises to be strength against strength. Man against man.

Offense versus defense played at heights not seen every NFL Sunday.

“It’s hard not to think of them as the best defense in the NFL when all the stats say they are,” Arizona running back Edgerrin James said. “Those guys know how to keep people out of the end zone. They know how to frustrate offenses. They know how to do what they do. That is a championship defense.”

Many words come to mind when describing the Steelers’ defense. Dominating is one of those.

The Steelers led the NFL in total defense in 2008. They led the NFL in pass defense. They led the NFL in scoring defense. And they failed to become the first team since the 1970 merger to lead in all four categories by which defenses are measured only because the Minnesota Vikings allowed three fewer rushing yards per game than Pittsburgh.

And you wonder why Pittsburgh is in the Super Bowl?

“I think it’s true in any sport: Defense wins championships,” linebacker Larry Foote said. “We know what they’re capable of doing. If we can slow those guys down, our chances of winning are going to increase. I like our chances.”

Strong offense

Sounds like a done deal except for one thing: The Arizona offense is pretty darn impressive in its own right, averaging 26.7 points per game.

Quarterback Kurt Warner threw for 4,000 yards in the regular season and he’s become more accurate in the postseason, becoming the second-highest rated quarterback in playoff history behind Bart Starr and ahead of guys like Joe Montana.

The receivers corps has not one, not two, but three 1,000-yard receivers in Larry Fitzgerald, Steve Breaston, and Anquan Boldin, who authored his fourth 1,000-yard season despite missing four games.

Boldin and Fitzgerald, big, strong and physical, have been as easy to tackle as eight-foot spiny cactus plants.

“Fitz is going to get his catches and Boldin is going to get hit and keep going,” James said. “A lot of times, defenses play perfect, get the right call and right play, but somebody will just make a great play, anyway. That’s how those guys are.”

A running game

Airzona’s offense was one-dimensional throughout the season and then James, who was benched for 10 games from October to December, was suddenly rediscovered as a starter. The move signaled a renaissance for the Cardinals running attack.

Arizona, last in the NFL averaging 73.6 rush yards per game in the regular season, is averaging 111 rushing yards per game in the postseason.

“We have run the ball successfully in the postseason,” Cardinals guard Deuce Lutui said. “In our game plan we plan to do anything necessary to attack their defense, which is very challenging. And that includes running.”

So the question as Super Bowl Sunday looms is not just can the Steelers beat Arizona or can the Cardinals pull the upset, but rather, what truly wins championships? Is it stifling defense? Or high-tech offense?

“Sometimes you get the bear, sometimes the bear gets you,” Foote said. “We know they’re going to make plays. We’re going to make plays, too. We’ll see what happens Sunday.”

By Armando Salguero/ McClatchy Tribune

Preserving and adapting

First generation Hmong students feel culture clash

First, some history.

During the 1960s, the United States recruited Hmong people to fight on the side of Americans in the Vietnam War. The Hmong, an ethnic minority group originating in China and Southeast Asia, then participated in what is known as the “Secret War.”

When the Laotian government was later overturned, Hmong people became targets of persecution.

Due to that political strife, many Hmong migrated south. Some stayed in countries such as Vietnam, Laos and Thailand and some migrated to the United States; the U.S. government placed the Hmong mostly in California and Minnesota.

“They didn’t ask to come here,” said Kathleen Garabed, founder and executive director of the Fresno nonprofit Stone Soup, which strives to help families preserve their Southeast Asian culture. “They are refugees.”

Many Hmong came to California because of the resources in the land and for growing vibrant crops, like strawberries.

Old traditions in a new culture

Now, the present.

Members of the newest American minority group have struggled to maintain their own language, customs and religion. But now, many first generation Hmong live in America with their refugee parents.

Garabed said that when the Hmong arrived in the United States it was a culture shock, especially when they began to raise children. Conflict arose.

“Elders want to maintain their strong traditions,” Garabed said. “But they are stuck because their children take on a new culture, particularly through their education. Education is a positive culture adaptation, but there are also the negatives, such as selfishness and materialism.”

Garabed said it is difficult for many Hmong refugees to understand certain American values because they come from clan-based families, where they are focused on the wellness of the group, not the individual.

Although Stone Soup strives for cultural preservation, not everything, of course, can be preserved in a completely new society. “You have to be selective,” Garabed said. “You can’t preserve it all.”

She explained that Hmong culture could be supported in many ways, specifically through language, arts and values.

Garabed said she constantly advises the young adults that she meets: “You need to know who you are, to be who you are; otherwise you will lose it.”

The cultural differences cannot be ignored. Specifically, many Hmong Fresno State students in the Hmong Student Association feel the differences.

Vangkou Khang: Stanford biology graduate, first generation Hmong

Khang created a Hmong student group at Stanford. When he was freshman, there were only three other Hmong students at the private school in Palo Alto. By his senior year there were eight — just enough to start an organization.

Khang, who hopes to go to medical school soon, spends time with members of the Fresno State’s Hmong Student Association to stay connected. He said that there is a struggle between the Hmong and American cultures, but it is not simply due to racial differences.

“The separation is due to naiveness,” he said. “Of course a separation is natural and it exists, but people really are just not knowledgeable about our culture.”

“If they knew more, there wouldn’t be a cultural gap.”

Khang said he does not lose sight of his culture because he has constant reminders from his parents. He said because Hmong parents are considered conservative, it is hard for them to understand how their children are adapting to American culture.

“My parents remind me who I am,” he said. “You can easily lose it.”

Song Her: senior, liberal studies major, first generation Hmong

In high school, Her was part of a similar association, so the transition was easy. She is currently president of the Fresno State Hmong Student Association.

Her’s father is a shaman, a practitioner of shamanism, which means he can communicate with the spiritual world. A shaman’s spirit can leave the body to the supernatural world and answer difficult questions about life, Her said.

“He has been a shaman for over 20 years,” she said. “It is easy for me to stay connected with my culture because we carry out all the traditions.”

During Hmong holidays, her family dresses in traditional clothing to “show their pride.”

Although Her feels connected to her culture, she said that there are many members who are not. “Many [students] are afraid to talk to their parents about their culture,” Her said. “But here we are like a family and we can talk amongst each other and learn.”

Xia Xiong: junior, kinesiology major, first generation Hmong

Xiong was involved in his high school Hmong student organization and believes the group is a useful and valuable way to be active in the community. He easily relates to his peers — they are his friends.
He said he does feel a culture clash because he has to adapt to American culture, which is different.

“Here, you go to school and you’re focused,” he said. “But adapting to a different culture makes it hard, especially when your family continues with traditions.”

Xiong said he is constantly reminded of his Hmong culture by constantly being around family and friends.

Song Her: junior, liberal studies major, first generation Hmong

Her is a Hmong-Christian, but most members of the association practice Shamanism, the traditional Hmong religion. She said she is even learning about the subcultures within her culture.

“It’s a real educational process,” Her said.

Her, the community and activities director for the Fresno State Hmong Student Association, said since most students in the association are first generation Hmong, they are still considered “new” and are still assimilating.

“Many of our parents are refugees,” she said. “We are new to America.”

Her’s father was in the CIA and fought in the Secret War, so she said she has always felt American. “My father always pushed that ‘you are American and it’s a good thing,’” she said. “But it differs from family to family.”

Vang Lee: junior, pre-nursing major, born in Thailand

Lee joined the Hmong Student Association to support his Hmong culture. His older sister was part of the association and urged him to join.

He wants to really stay connected. “School takes a lot of my time,” he said. “I’m losing my culture.”

Lee said that he is sad that there is a distance between him and his Hmong culture, but he simply does not have time for the Hmong traditions.

“My mom asks me to go to different things,” he said. “But I would rather choose school over my culture, because my education comes first.”

Photo of the Week: Caged Light

Caged Light

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