Feb. 4, 2008
SAN DIEGO -
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AZTECS HOST LOYOLA MARYMOUNT, TRAVEL TO LONG BEACH STATE
The 46th-ranked San Diego State women's tennis team (3-1) is gearing up for a tough week of competition, as it will face two ranked opponents beginning with No. 69 Loyola Marymount on Wednesday, Feb. 6. The match, which will be held at the Aztec Tennis Center, is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.
The Aztecs will return to action on Saturday, Feb. 9, when they head to Long Beach, Calif., for a 1 p.m. match against 38th-ranked Long Beach State at El Dorado Park.
Last weekend, SDSU made its way to the Nordstrom Tennis Center in Seattle for two matches, finishing with a 1-1 record. The Aztecs opened play by downing Gonzaga University, 7-0, as they took two-of-three to capture the doubles point before sweeping through singles play.
San Diego State was unable to keep the momentum the following day, however, as they suffered their first loss of the season with a 6-1 setback against No. 55 Washington. Despite forcing two tie-breakers in doubles action, the Aztecs were only able to pull out one win. The Huskies then went on to capture five-of-six singles matches for the victory.
SCOUTING THE LIONS
Jamie Sanchez enters his 32nd year as head coach of the LMU women's tennis team and returns eight letterwinners from last year's squad that finished with an 11-12 record. Leading the way for the Lions is senior Pavla Mesterova, who finished the 2006-07 season with a 27-6 overall singles record en route to being named the West Coast Conference player of the year.
LMU is looking for its first win of the 2008 dual-match campaign as they hold an 0-3 record. The Lions have had a tough schedule thus far, facing a ranked opponent in each of their three matches, including a season-opener at No. 8 USC. Last weekend, LMU fell to No. 46 Tulsa (6-1) and No. 59 Oklahoma State (7-0), in Tulsa, Okla.
SERIES HISTORY VS. LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
San Diego State leads in its all-time series with Loyola Marymount by a 14-2 count. The Aztecs had never lost to LMU until the Lions ended a 12-match losing streak in 2004. SDSU then reeled off two more wins before LMU prevailed for the second time in the series, with a 4-3 victory in Los Angeles last year.
SCOUTING THE 49ERS
Long Beach State is off to a 2-3 start in dual-match play, with all three losses coming to teams ranked in the top 35. The 49ers most recently dropped a 6-1 decision to No. 33 LSU on Feb. 2.
Individually, The Beach is led by junior Hannah Grady, a two-time Big West Conference player of the year. Grady finished the 2006-07 season with a 22-9 singles record and an 18-9 mark in doubles action.
Jenny Hilt-Costello is in her 11th year as LBSU's head coach, and has led the 49ers to four-straight BWC titles.
SERIES HISTORY VS. LONG BEACH STATE
San Diego State leads in its series with LBSU by a 27-2 count, but the 49ers have won the last two meetings between the teams. In 2007, The Beach swept through doubles play before winning four singles matches to claim a 5-2 victory in San Diego.
AZTECS IN THE POLLS
San Diego State is ranked 46th in the nation according to the FILA Collegiate Tennis Rankings released Jan. 29 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). The next team poll is scheduled to be released on Feb. 5.
Individually, freshman Julia Trunk is ranked among the top 100 singles players in the nation, coming in at No. 61. The next individual poll is scheduled to be released on Feb. 20.
TRUNK SHINES IN SEATTLE
Freshman Julia Trunk won all four of her matches from Feb. 1-2 in Seattle. Trunk kicked off the weekend by teaming with Esther Cadua to defeat Gonzaga's Sydney Lederhouse and Kristen MacWilliam, 8-3, at the No. 2 position. In singles play, she recorded a 6-4, 6-4 triumph over Emily Anderson at the No. 1 spot. Against Washington, Trunk and Cadua were victorious again before the Bad Saulgau, Germany, native defeated Aleksandra Malovic in straight sets for the Aztecs' only point of the day.
NIELSEN'S BIG DAY
Senior Sisse Nielsen went 4-0 in the Aztecs' season-opening doubleheader on Jan. 26, winning both her singles and doubles matches. Nielsen teamed with Kathryn Kitts to defeat Roxanne Plata and Alex Khoury of UC Riverside, 8-4, before dispatching Khoury (6-1, 6-3) in singles play. The Alleroed, Denmark, native then shut out Breanna Stowell of Cal State Fullerton, prior to rejoining Kitts for an 8-1 thrashing of Jerusha Cruz and Brandy Andrews.
THE COACHES
Peter Mattera enters his 27th season at San Diego State and 15th as head coach of the Scarlet and Black. In 14 seasons, the Aztecs' mentor has guided SDSU to 10 postseason appearances, compiling a record of 217-146 (.598) in the process. Equally impressive is the fact that 12 of his 14 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.
Lindsey Gamp begins her third season as the Aztecs' assistant coach, while Larry Willens enters his 10th season as a volunteer assistant.
FALL HIGHLIGHTS
San Diego State had several outstanding individual performances during the fall season. Julia Trunk defeated a pair of ranked players en route to an appearance in the semifinals at the ITA West Regionals.
Junior Holly Bagshaw captured the Flight 1 singles title at the second SDSU Fall Classic and freshman Olivia Colman went 3-0 at the same tournament to win Flight 4. Both Trunk and Colman concluded the fall with a team-high nine victories.
2006-07 REVIEW
SDSU finished the 2007 dual-match campaign with a 14-12 overall record and a 6-2 mark in the Mountain West Conference. The Aztecs made their 20th appearance in the NCAA tournament and acheived a final ITA ranking of No. 49.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Since the opening of the Aztec Tennis Center in 2005, SDSU has won 69 percent of its home matches, posting a 27-12 record. All 12 defeats have come at the hands of teams ranked in the top 60.