Jan. 24, 2001
This Week
The 27th-ranked San Diego State women's tennis team gets the spring portion of its schedule underway with a pair of matches this weekend. The Aztecs host 70th-ranked Pacific Saturday and 63rd-ranked Rice Sunday. Both matches begin at 10 a.m. and will be held on the SDSU Tennis Courts located east of Cox Arena on campus.
Aztecs in the Rankings
The Aztecs are ranked 27th in the nation and sixth in the West region. Sophomore Silvia Tornier is ranked 46th nationally in singles play and sixth in the region. Also representing SDSU in the regional singles ratings are sophomores Lindsey Hedberg (18th) and Katja Karrento (23rd). The doubles pair of Karrento and senior Whitney are ranked third in the region and Hedberg and Tornier eighth.
A Year Ago
SDSU closed out its 2000 season with a 16-9 overall record and made its fifth straight, 14th overall, trip to the NCAA tournament. The Aztecs faced 22 ranked opponents on the year earning a top seed to the inaugural Mountain West Conference championships.
Who's Back
SDSU returns three athletes who turned in 20-win seasons in 2000. Junior Julie Chidley was the team's leader with a 24-10 record, followed by sophomore Lindsey Hedberg, 23-10, and junior Katey Becker, 22-9. Whitney Wells returns for her senior year after playing the Aztecs' No. 1 position all of last season. Wells was named to both all-Mountain West Conference singles and doubles team. The Aztecs will also look to sophomore Katja Karrento, who earned all-league honors a year ago.
Recaping the Fall
The Aztecs capped off a successful fall season with their doubles team of Karrento and Wells advancing to the ITA regional semifinals. The pair finished the fall schedule with a 5-2 record. In singles action, Tornier advanced to the quarterfinals of the ITA regional, posting a 6-1 record.
Team Effort
The Aztec men's and women's team participated in the second annual WingspanBank.com/World TeamTennis National Collegiate Championship Oct. 6-8 in Palo Alto, Calif. The tournament was played in the World TeamTennis format and features 16 of the nation's top programs. SDSU was invited thanks to a 2000 final ranking of 19th for the men and 27th for the women.
Strength of Schedule
Seventeen teams on the Aztecs schedule are ranked entering the season. Four schools on SDSU's docket are rated in the preseason top 25: Pepperdine (10), Southern California (12), Florida State (21) and Tulsa (25).
About the Tigers
Pacific will face Rice Friday on the SDSU campus before meeting up with the Aztecs Saturday. The team had its match with UC Davis on Tuesday cancelled because of weather.
About the Owls
Rice kicks off its fall season in San Diego on Friday with a match against Pacific. The team also plays San Jose State Saturday. Both matches will be held on the SDSU campus.
When We Last Met
SDSU holds a 8-0 series record with Pacific, with the last meeting between the two resulting in a 7-2 victory for the Aztecs in San Diego in 1999. The Aztecs have also never lost to Rice, owning a 2-0 series advantage. The two last met in San Diego during the `95 season when the Aztecs posted a 5-4 decision.
Coaching Staff
San Diego State is led by eighth-year head coach Peter Mattera. Mattera is assisted by Susheel Gulati who is in her fifth year with the Aztec program. Both are graduates of SDSU. Gulati was a member of the Aztecs' All-American 1993 doubles team.
Things to Come
The Aztecs' season continues with a match at Southern California Feb. 7 (Wed.) at 1:30 p.m. before coming home to compete against UC Berkeley Feb. 9 (Fri.) at 1:30 p.m.