Jan. 25, 2007
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Women's Tennis Weekly Release in PDF Format
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SDSU WOMEN'S TENNIS SET FOR SUNDAY SHOWDOWN WITH NO. 11 CALIFORNIA
* The 39th-ranked San Diego State women's tennis team continues its 2007 campaign on Sunday when it welcomes No. 11 California (1-0) to Montezuma Mesa for a 10 a.m. match at Aztec Tennis Center. The Golden Bears are the highest-ranked opponent the Aztecs will have faced since suffering a 7-0 defeat at the hands of then-No. 4 USC on Feb. 14, 2006.
* SDSU is coming off a sweep of Cal State Fullerton and UC Riverside at home last Saturday, dropping just two matches during the season-opening doubleheader. Despite unusually cool conditions, the Aztecs turned up the heat early in both contests, beating the Titans handily in the morning, 6-1, before blanking the Highlanders in the nightcap, 7-0.
* Senior Alesya Vidov completed an impressive weekend by going 4-0 after pocketing two wins apiece in doubles and singles play. The Moscow, Russia, native, was dominating in her two singles matches, becoming the first player to close off her opponent in both duals. Sophomore Esther Cadua and freshman Ozge Atalay enjoyed perfect outings as well, as each went 3-0 after collecting a pair of singles victories to go along with a triumph in doubles. Junior Eliska Krausova also turned in a solid performance, winning her two singles matches en route to a 3-1 mark for the doubleheader.
* Following Sunday's showdown with Cal, the Scarlet and Black will make the first of three non-conference road trips when it travels to the Aloha State for a pair of dual matches in Honolulu later in the week. The Aztecs are set to battle Hawai'i on Thursday, Feb. 1, at the UH Tennis Complex with a 4 p.m. HST start. Two days later, SDSU will lock horns with No. 55 UC Irvine in a neutral-site clash on the UH campus beginnng at 11 a.m. HST on Saturday, Feb. 3.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN BEARS
* Like SDSU, California opened its spring season with minimal difficulty last weekend, recording a 7-0 whitewash of Sacramento State in Berkeley on Jan. 20. The Golden Bears claimed all six singles matches and lost only one doubles contest en route to the shutout victory. Prior to its Sunday showdown with the Aztecs, Cal will square off against No. 57 San Diego on Saturday at USD's West Courts.
* The Bears will bring a deep squad to The Mesa, having seven singles players ranked in the initial ITA singles poll of the season. At the top of the list is third-ranked Susie Babos, who captured the NCAA singles championship last May. This year, the junior from Hungary has hardly missed a beat, winning the Riviera/All-American championship on Oct. 8 en route to a 13-3 record. Freshman Nina Henkel, currently ranked 14th, also has a fall tournament singles crown to her credit after capturing the Wilson/ITA Northwest Regional championship on Oct. 23. Cal's other ranked singles players include senior Zsuzsanna Fodor (No. 32), juniors Cristina Viscio (No. 27), Marion Ravelojaona (No. 34) and Stephanie Kusano (No. 74) and sophomore Bojana Bobusic (No.77).
* The Bears also boast a pair of doubles teams in the national rankings. The tandem of Babos and Fodor claimed the Wilson/ITA Northwest Regional doubles title last fall and currently reside in the No. 2 position in the ITA poll. Meanwhile, Henkel and sophomore Daron Moore occupy the No. 12 spot.
SERIES HISTORY VS. CALIFORNIA
* San Diego State owns six wins against the Golden Bears, the fourth-most in school history versus all Pac-10 schools behind Arizona State (14), Arizona (12) and Oregon (7). Cal has had SDSU's number recently, however, winning 12 straight times since the 1994 campaign.
Last season, the Aztecs got off to quick start in doubles as the duo of Dita Hauerlandova and Sisse Nielsen emerged triumphant in the No. 1 position with an 8-4 win over Susie Babos and Stephanie Kusano. SDSU was thwarted in its bid to grab the early point, however, as the No. 2 tandem of Eliska Krausova and Esther Cadua lost a tough 9-7 battle to the Bears' Marion Ravelojaona and Bojana Bobusic. Boasting five ranked players, Cal proceeded to capture all six matches and walk away with a 7-0 victory.
BEWARE OF HAGIWARA
* Since the fall tournament season, San Diego State has received exceptional play from senior Yuki Hagiwara, who currently owns a five-match winning streak. A 2005 transfer from Grossmont College, Hagiwara claimed the Flight 3 singles title at the SDSU Fall Tennis Classic in November, winning all three of her matches in straight sets. In her spring debut last weekend, the Japan native picked up right where she left off, upending Catrisha Cabanilla of UC Riverside, 6-4, 6-4, to raise her record to 7-2 on the year. Hagiwara has already surpassed her victory total from last year when she notched five wins in limited action as a junior.
AZTECS IN THE POLLS
* San Diego State entered the 2007 campaign ranked 39th in the nation according to the first FILA Collegiate Tennis Rankings released Jan. 9 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). The next team poll is scheduled to be released Jan. 30. Individually, sophomore Holly Bagshaw and junior Eliska Krausova were ranked among the top 100 singles players in the nation. Bagshaw came in at No. 51, while Krausova found herself in the 69th spot. This marks the first appearance of two Aztec players in the same singles poll since April 21, 2003, when Silvia Tornier and Lindsey Hedberg were ranked 86th and 96th, respectively. The next individual rankings will not be released until Feb. 18. In doubles, the tandem of Krausova and junior Sisse Nielsen finished the fall campaign ranked 14th in the West Region according to the ITA.
MATTERA MAGIC
* Peter Mattera is in his 26th season at San Diego State and 14th as head coach of the Scarlet and Black. In 13-plus seasons, the Aztecs' mentor has guided SDSU to nine postseason appearances, compiling a record of 205-124 (.623) in the process. Equally impressive is the fact that 11 of his 13 squads have finished with an overall record of .500 or better despite playing one of the toughest schedules in the nation on an annual basis.
HOME COOKING
* Since the opening of Aztec Tennis Center in 2005, SDSU has won 76 percent of its home matches, posting a 19-6 record. Against ranked opponents, the Aztecs are 13-6, including a 1-1 mark against teams in the top 10. The highest-ranked opponent to fall victim to the Scarlet and Black at the friendly confines of ATC was No. 8 Washington, which suffered a 5-2 defeat on March 5, 2005, just the third match ever at the now two-year-old facility.