May 3, 2006
SAN DIEGO - The 34th-ranked San Diego State women's tennis team has been selected to participate in the 2006 NCAA Division I Tennis Championships the NCAA announced Wednesday evening. The Aztecs, making their 19th all-time appearance at the annual postseason tournament, will take on UCLA in the first round. The contest is set for Friday, May 12, at Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center on the campus Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif. Match time is set for 3 p.m. PDT.
"This is a nice tribute to the team for their fine season and is a tribute to the strength of the team and the Mountain West Conference," head coach Peter Mattera said. "We are excited and looking forward to playing a good team in UCLA."
SDSU earned an at-large berth after finishing its season with a 16-8 (6-2 Mountain West Conference) record and a second-place showing in the MWC. The Aztecs will be facing a UCLA team that completed its season with a 13-6 (8-5 Pac-10) mark and features five players that hold an ITA singles ranking.
San Diego State is making its second consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament and its fourth in five years. Last season, the Aztecs were swept by Arizona State, 4-0, at Marks Stadium in Los Angeles.
SDSU's 19 all-time tournament appearances is tied for 11th in NCAA Division I history with Arizona and Indiana.
"This continues to send the message that SDSU is one of the storied programs in Division I women's tennis," Mattera said.
This will be the first meeting between the two schools in NCAA tournament history. However, both teams met in the 1979 AIAW Championship with the Bruins edging the Aztecs, 5-4, in Iowa City, Iowa.
The winner of the SDSU-UCLA match will advance and play the winner of the Pepperdine-Wichita State contest on May 13 with the right to move onto the NCAA Finals being held at Stanford, May 18-29.