April 28, 2009
SAN DIEGO -
The 43rd-ranked San Diego State women's tennis team earned a bid to the 2009 NCAA Tennis Championships on Tuesday. The Aztecs will be making their 21st appearance in the annual 64-team tournament, against Washington in the opening round on May 9, at the Marks Tennis Stadium on the campus of USC. First serve has yet to be determined.
"We are very excited to back in the NCAA tournament," said 16th-year head coach Peter Mattera. "I think it speaks very highly of the season that we have had, with a lot of very significant wins in the tough schedule that we have played. We are extremely excited to be going to the tournament and facing Washington for the second time this year. We couldn't be more pleased."
This will be SDSU's 21st NCAA appearance since NCAA Championships for tennis began in 1982. San Diego State is now tied for 11th place all-time in NCAA Division I women's tennis championship appearances.
SDSU earned an at-large berth after finishing with a 17-8 overall (6-2 Mountain West Conference). SDSU will be making its 11th appearance in the last 14 years, and the first since 2007 when the Aztecs fell to Florida State, 4-0, at the Los Angeles Tennis Center on the campus of UCLA.
San Diego State will take on a Washington team that finished its season at 16-7 overall and 3-5 in Pac-10 standings. The Huskies have taken seven of the 13 all-time meetings between the two schools including a 7-0 sweep earlier this season at the Aztec Tennis Center.
Of the 64 teams to earn a bid to the NCAA Championships, SDSU has faced eight, with victories coming against Pepperdine and Sacramento State earlier this season.