May 10, 2005
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Women's Tennis NCAA Tournament Release
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No. 47 San Diego State Travels to Los Angeles to Face Arizona State in the First Round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament
* San Diego State (16-10; 4-3 Mountain West Conference) will travel to Los Angeles for its first round showdown with Pac-10 member Arizona State (10-7; 5-3 Pacific 10 Conference). The match is scheduled for a 9 a.m. start, Friday, May 13, at Marks Stadium on the campus of the University of Southern California. The Aztecs will be making their 18th NCAA tournament appearance after a one-year hiatus, while the Sun Devils are entering their 20th postseason tournament in the last 21 years.
The winner of the SDSU-ASU contest will take on the victor of the Southern California-Illinois-Chicago match on Saturday at 1 p.m., with a chance to advance to the round of 16 in Athens, Ga.
The Matchup
* The Aztecs come into Friday's match having lost in the semifinal round of the MWC Championship to top-seeded and eventual champion Brigham Young, 4-2, at Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego on April 29. Prior to the loss, SDSU had been winners of three straight and six-of-seven, winning at Utah (4-3) and San Diego (4-3) and defeating the fifth-seeded Utes in the quarterfinals, 4-1.
The Sun Devils, meanwhile, are on a four-match winning streak, defeating #17 Cal (4-3), #68 Washington State (7-0), #21 Washington (5-2) and #51 Arizona (5-2). Since the Pac-10 Championships are only a singles and doubles event, ASU's last team match came on April 16, when it defeated in-state rival Arizona at home.
The Last Time...
* The last time these two schools met was in 1997 in San Diego. The Sun Devils got the better of the Aztecs, as they claimed an 8-1 victory. But the last time these two schools faced each other in the postseason was in 1996 in Malibu, Calif. That year the contest was much closer, but it still produced the same result as ASU ousted SDSU from the postseason with its 5-4 win.
Tourney Time Info
* This is the third time in four years and 18th overall time that the Aztecs have appeared in the NCAA tournament. During that time, SDSU has amassed a record of 11-18 for a winning percentage of .379.
The Aztecs have won their first round match-up 10 times in their history and advanced past the second round only once (1984). That year, SDSU defeated California (7-2) and Texas (6-3) before falling to Stanford in the semifinals, 7-2. After their loss, the Aztecs played in the third-place match and were downed, 5-4, by Trinity.
San Diego State has faced a Pac-10 opponent 10 times in the NCAA tournament beating only California (7-2) in 1984 and Oregon (5-2) in 1997. Four of the Aztecs' losses have come at the hands of Stanford (1983, 1984, 1989, 1991), while the other four were dropped to Southern California (1985, 1998), Arizona State (1996) and Arizona (2002).
The Aztecs have played in the postseason once before in the City of Angels and that was in 1984. That was the year SDSU advanced to the semifinals before losing to Stanford and falling in the third-place match to Trinity.
Elite Company
* San Diego State is in some elite company when it comes to appearing in the NCAA tournament. The Aztecs are tied for 11th with Arizona and Indiana for most tournament appearances in the NCAA history. In addition, those in the top 10 account for all 23 NCAA team championships.
Two Teams, Two Tournaments
* San Diego State is one of 35 schools in America to have both its men's and women's teams in the NCAA tournament this season. Of the 35, only 10 schools, including SDSU, are from non-BCS leagues. In addition, the Aztecs are the only team from the MWC to have both teams in postseason play.
Aztecs Against the Field
* This year, SDSU has faced nine teams in this year's field of 64 going a combined 3-8. The Aztecs posted wins over Big West champion Long Beach State, Big Ten runner-up Michigan and Washington. Two of their losses have come to MWC champion Brigham Young, while the others have come at the hands of MWC runner-up UNLV, West Coast champion Pepperdine, California, Oregon, and Southern California.
Scouting the Sun Devils
* No. 30 Arizona State enters the postseason with a record of 10-7 overall, including a 5-3 mark in conference action. Seven of its 10 wins were against ranked opposition and five of those came at home.
The Sun Devils are a young team with three freshmen, five sophomores and two seniors. Sophomore Kady Pooler, who plays at No. 3 singles, leads the team in wins for the spring season with 14. Overall, fellow sophomore and 46th-ranked Sabrina Capannolo is 19-15 for the year and plays the majority of the time at No. 1 singles. Freshman Jessica Leitch is another solid contributor who is ranked 121st-nationally and has 20 wins overall this season. Joslynn Burkett is the third nationally-ranked singles player on the team boasting a ranking of No. 123.
On the doubles front, ASU is led by senior Lauren Colalillo and Pooler. The pair are the 27th-ranked doubles team in the nation with a record of 15-9. Right behind them are sophomore Wendy Pilecka and Burkett who own a doubles rank of No. 51.
Series History vs. Arizona State
* The Aztecs are 14-11 all-time versus the Sun Devils, but are 0-5 since the 1994 season. The last meeting featured an 8-1, ASU victory in San Diego. The four prior meetings took place during the 1994-96 seasons, a time in which SDSU was outscored 27-8.
Double-Double
* Winning the doubles point has been the key to SDSU's success this season. When the Aztecs win the doubles point, they are 13-2. When they sweep doubles play, the Aztecs are an impressive 9-1. On the other hand, when SDSU loses the doubles point, it is only 3-8.
Winning at No. 1 also seems to be a good omen as the Aztecs are 12-3 when being victorious at the top spot.
SDSU In The Polls
* The Aztecs have been ranked in every ITA poll this season. After starting the season in the mid, to low 60s, SDSU jumped to No. 25 after winning four straight and upsetting No. 8 Washington and No. 28 Michigan in back-to-back matches on March 3 and 5.. Since then, the Aztecs have been ranked in the 30s and are now tabbed 47th in the country.
Good FOURtune
* Earlier this season, SDSU enjoyed a four-match winning streak with three of them coming against nationally-ranked teams. Winning four in a row has been a good omen for Aztec teams in the past. Since 1994, SDSU has posted wins of four or more in a row in every year except 1994, 2000 and 2004.
This season is the eighth time since 1994 that the Aztecs have had streaks of four or more and qualified for the NCAA tournament. The last team to accomplish the feat was the 2003 squad. That team had streaks of eight and five wins in a row, including four straight on two occasions.
Erichsen Wins 2005 ITA Cissie Leary Sportsmanship Award
* Indra Erichsen won the 2005 West Region Cissie Leary Sportsmanship Award as announced by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) on May 9. Erichsen is the second San Diego State player to win the award in three years. Then-senior Katja Karrento won the award in 2003. According to the ITA, the Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship is awarded to a collegiate women's tennis player who displays dedication and commitment to her team, which has enhanced her team's performance and exemplified the spirit of college tennis.
All-Mountain West Conference Honorees
* Four Aztecs were honored by the Mountain West Conference during the conference's championship banquet two weeks ago in San Diego. Dita Hauerlandova earned her second consecutive all-MWC singles award after posting a 13-11 record overall and a 12-8 mark at No. 2 during the regular season. She also garnered all-conference doubles accolades with Alesya Vidov. Joining them on the all-MWC doubles squad was Nina Spaeth and Indra Erichsen. For the regular season, the duo went 10-1 with eight of those wins coming at the No. 1 position. They also closed out the conference slate with a six-match winning streak. The award was the fourth of Erichsen's career with her third different partner.
Players of the Week
* This season, the Aztecs had three players honored for their accomplishments during MWC play.
Andrea Hermansen won the award Feb. 9, the first of her career, after winning all of her singles and doubles matches against Texas Tech and No. 27 Oregon Feb. 5-6.
Dita Hauerlandova was the second Aztec to earn conference accolades on March 9 after helping SDSU upset No. 28 Michigan and No. 8 Washington. The junior won five of her six matches, all at number two, including all three doubles matches with sophomore Alesya Vidov.
Indra Erichsen continued the trend when she won the award April 13. In the week prior to her winning the award she won all five of her matches against Colorado State, Wyoming and Long Beach State.
Hauerlandova Named Player of the Month
* Hauerlandova was named player of the month in the April 2005 edition of Inside Tennis for her efforts during an Aztec winning streak in which SDSU upset No. 28 Michigan and eighth-ranked Washington.
Hauerlandova played some of the best tennis of her career when she won five of her six matches in the team's first three contests in the month of March. The junior won two of her three singles matches and posted three doubles victories with sophomore Alesya Vidov.
During their streak, the Aztecs beat No. 67 UC Irvine at the end of February and followed it up with wins over unranked Loyola Marymount and nationally-ranked Michigan and Washington. As a result of its winning streak, SDSU propelled 43 spots from No. 68 to 25th-nationally.
Their win over Washington was the first time since 2002 that the Aztecs beat a team ranked in the top-15. That season, SDSU downed UNLV, 4-3, en route to the NCAA Tournament.
Super Spaeth
* Freshman Nina Spaeth has had a tremendous freshman season. She owned an 11-match winning streak that was broken in Las Vegas against New Mexico. She is 20-3 this season, 22-4 overall (9-2 at No. 5 and 8-0 at No. 6) and currently owns a seven-match winning streak.
In doubles, she has been equally impressive. At the beginning of the season, she teamed with Sisse Nielsen and the two went 6-4, all at No. 3. Then at midseason, she switched partners and paired up with Indra Erichsen. The two ended the year winning six straight and boast a record of 10-1 overall (8-1 at No. 1). At the MWC touranment, Nielsen and Spaeth were reunited and lost both of their matches against Utah and BYU at No. 3.
Freshmen Phenoms
* SDSU's freshmen have played a big part in the team's success this year. The four freshmen, Carla Bell, Eliska Krausova, Sisse Nielsen and Nina Spaeth, have combined to go 40-20 this spring in singles.
Spaeth, as mentioned earlier, finished the year with a record of 20-3 and is on a seven-match winning streak. She also had a streak of 11 straight earlier this season.
Sisse Nielsen, who plays at Nos. 5 and 6, closed the regular season with a mark of 8-6, including a 3-0 record at the fifth spot.
Eliska Krausova, who battled back from an early season injury, played at Nos. 3-6, while accumulating a record of 12-8 overall.
Carla Bell saw little action at the front end of the season, but saw time in the last few matches. Despite owning an 0-3 record, she had a strong fall season winning three matches.
Upset City
* Thanks to a pair of wins against No. 28 Michigan (March 3) and No. 8 Washington (March 5) and a victory over then-No. 68 UC Irvine on Feb. 26, the Aztecs became very familiar with the word "upset." The victory over Washington was the highest ranked opponent an SDSU team has defeated since it beat 15th-ranked UNLV, 4-3, back on March 28, 2002. The win over Michigan also marked the first time the Aztecs defeated anyone in the top-30 since that same UNLV victory in 2002.
Head Coach Peter Mattera
* Peter Mattera is in his 12th season as head coach of the women's program. To date, he has an overall record of 187-114 (.621) and has guided the Aztecs to eight postseason appearances. In 12 seasons, only twice (1994 and 2004) has SDSU failed to finish above .500. In addition, Mattera-coached teams average 15.6 wins a year and always end the season in the final ITA Rankings.
Scouting Southern California
* The Trojans are 16-3 on the season, with two of their losses coming in their last three matches. USC is led by Nicole Leimbach, who is ranked No. 9 in the country and is coming off of a Pac-10 singles championship on April 25. Other Trojans that hold a national singles ranking include, Lindsey Nelson (No. 16), Anca Anastasiu (No. 53) and Dianne Matias (No. 94). On the doubles side, Carine Vermeulen and Nelson are the tabbed 43rd in America, while Anastasiu and Nelson are ranked No. 45.
SDSU is 4-32 all-time versus the Trojans. Earlier this season, the Aztecs traveled to Los Angeles and were shutout, 7-0, by then-12th-ranked Southern California.
Scouting Illinois-Chicago
* The Horizon League champions finished the year at 13-10 overall, including a 10-0 mark in conference play. The Flames are led by all-Horizon League first team selections, Iris Jaklin and Corey Steven and second-team honorees, Molly Smith and Melanie Humphrey. The team also boasts the leagues newcomer of the year in Grace Gill-Morlis and the co-coach of the year Shannon Tully.
If Illinois-Chicago and San Diego State meet in the second round, it would be the first ever match-up between the two schools.