Feb. 12, 2007
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Women's Tennis Weekly Release in PDF Format
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AZTECS TRAVEL TO NO. 5 USC, HOST No. 28 LONG BEACH STATE THIS WEEK
* The 46th-ranked San Diego State women's tennis team continues its tough stretch against nationally ranked opponents this week when it hits the road to battle No. 5 Southern California on Tuesday, Feb. 13, followed by a home date with 28th-ranked Long Beach State on Friday, Feb. 16. First serve against the Women of Troy is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. PST at Marks Tennis Stadium in Los Angeles, while the Aztecs' contest with the 49ers is slated to get underway at 2 p.m. PST at Aztec Tennis Center.
SDSU (3-4) will be looking to rebound from consecutive losses last week to No. 54 LSU and No. 52 Arizona. The Lady Tigers dealt the Scarlet and Black a 6-1 defeat on Feb. 7, taking eight of nine matches on the day. Two days later, the Wildcats struck early as well, winning the doubles point and then capturing three of six singles matches to hand the Aztecs a tough 4-3 loss.
After Friday's dual with Long Beach State, SDSU will have eight days off before playing host to Rice on Saturday, Feb. 24, starting at noon.
SCOUTING THE WOMEN OF TROY
* USC opened its 2007 dual-match schedule in dominating fashion thus far, posting a 4-0 record by a combined score of 27-1. In their last outing on Feb. 8, the Women of Troy blanked Cal Poly at home, 7-0, for their third team shutout of the year. After experiencing some early difficultly in the top two positions, USC rebounded to capture the doubles point and then took all six singles matches to complete the sweep. Following Tuesday's tilt with the Aztecs, the Women of Troy begin conference play, traveling to Pac-10 rivals Stanford (Feb. 16) and California (Feb. 17).
Individually, USC boasts a trio of players ranked in the latest ITA singles poll released last month. Freshman Sarah Fansler leads the group with a No. 9 ranking, followed by seniors Dianne Matias (No. 46) and Judy DeVera (No. 95). Fansler has compiled a 15-4 record so far this season, including the singles title at the Wilson/ITA West Regional Championships at Barnes Tennis Center in October.
The Women of Troy, led by 12th-year head coach Richard Gallien, also have three teams ranked among the nation's best in doubles competition. DeVera and sophomore Amanda Fink currently hold down the No. 15 spot, while Matias and junior Lindsey Nelson occupy the 18th position. Matias and Fansler have also joined forces this spring to earn a No. 23 ranking.
SERIES HISTORY VS. USC
* The series with Southern California has been a lopsided one with the Women of Troy owning a 33-4 all-time record against SDSU. Since the 1993 season, the Aztecs have lost 11 straight to their Pac-10 counterparts and have been shut out on six occasions during the streak. San Diego State's last victory against USC came in a 5-4 triumph on Feb. 19, 1992, at the old SDSU Courts.
SCOUTING THE 49ERS
* Following a season-opening defeat to USC, Long Beach State (3-1) has reeled off three straight victories, including consecutive shutouts against Big West Conference foes Cal State Fullerton (Feb. 2) and Cal State Northridge (Feb. 10).
The 49ers feature the sophomore doubles team of Hannah Grady and Jessica Weeks, which received a No. 48 national ranking in the latest ITA poll issued last month. In singles play, Long Beach State began the 2007 dual-match season with Grady, fellow classmate Katy Williams and junior Stephanie Bengson at the top of its lineup. Grady garnered Big West Conference player of the year accolades in 2006 and was also voted the league's top freshman.
Back at the controls for the 49ers is 10th-year head coach Jenny Hilt-Costello, who earned Big West coach of the year honors from 2004-2006 after leading LBSU to three consecutive conference tournament championships.
SERIES HISTORY VS. LONG BEACH STATE
* The Aztecs enter Friday's clash with the 49ers having lost on just one occasion in 28 meetings overall. SDSU's 27-1 record is the all-time best against a single opponent in school history and represents the Aztecs' second-highest victory total ever against one opponent (San Diego State has 29 wins against UC Irvine).
The lone blemish for the Scarlet and Black in its series with Long Beach State occurred last year when the Aztecs suffered a 5-2 upset at 49er Campus Courts. After losing a closely contested doubles point, SDSU was unable to regroup in singles play, dropping four of six matches.
BIG WEST DOMINATION
* Before moving into the Western Athletic Conference and now the Mountain West Conference, the San Diego State women's tennis team once competed as a member of the Big West Conference. During their tenure in the Big West, the Aztecs captured the conference tournament crown all three times from 1988-1990 and finished in the top 20 nationally each season. Even though SDSU has been out of the Big West for over 16 years, it continues to have success against current members of the league, posting a 119-9 record. The Aztecs added to that total already this year after defeating Cal State Fullerton and UC Riverside in a season-opening doubleheader on Jan. 20.
VIVA VIDOV!
* Alesya Vidov has been coming on strong of late, winning three of her last four singles matches alternating between the second and third spots on SDSU's ladder. The Aztec senior leads the team with 11 victories this season, including a 5-2 mark in dual-match competition.
Vidov came up big in SDSU's win at Hawai'i on Feb. 1 as she teamed with freshman Ozge Atalay to claim the crucial doubles point at the No. 2 position. Later in singles play, the Moscow, Russia, native clinched the match for the Scarlet and Black with a three-set triumph over the Rainbow Wahine's Julia Hodes, 1-6, 6-0, 6-2, on the No. 2 court.
After falling to UC Irvine's Inna Agababian on Feb. 3, Vidov rebounded with a pair of wins in the No. 3 slot during last week's two-match homestand. Vidov registered the Aztecs' only point in a 6-1 defeat to LSU on Feb. 7, knocking off the Lady Tigers' Staten Spencer, 6-4, 7-6(4). Two days later, she kept the momentum going with a 6-3, 6-2 conquest of Kasia Jakowlew in San Diego State's narrow 4-3 loss to Arizona.
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 206-127 (.619) 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.