NCAA Tournament Preview
May 6, 2009
SAN DIEGO -
Complete Release in PDF Format
Aztecs Ready For NCAA Championships
The San Diego State women's tennis team will travel to Los Angeles, Calif., to face Washington on May 9 at 9 a.m. PT., in the first round of the NCAA Championships at the Marks Tennis Center on the campus of USC. The victor of the match will take on the winner of the USC-Fairfield match (May 9, noon) on Sunday, May 10, at noon. The 43rd-ranked Aztecs, tied for 11th nationally in all-time NCAA tournament appearances with Duke and Indiana at 21, are making their 11th trip in the last 14 years to the postseason. The winner of the regional in Los Angeles will advance to the round of 16 at Texas A&M. Team tournament matches in College Station, Texas, will begin on May 15.
SDSU In The NCAA Tournament
Saturday's showdown with Washington marks the 21st overall occasion that the Aztecs have appeared in the NCAA tournament. During that span, SDSU has amassed a record of 11-21. San Diego State has won its opening match 10 times in school history and advanced past the second round only once since 1984. That year, the Scarlet and Black defeated California (7-2) and Texas (6-3) before falling to Stanford in the semifinals, 7-2. Following their loss to the Cardinal, the Aztecs suffered a 5-4 setback at the hands of Trinity University (Tex.) in the third-place match. The Aztecs have faced Pac-10 opponents 12 times in NCAA tournament play and are 2-10 overall against them. Most recently, SDSU faced UCLA in 2006 when San Diego State fell, 4-0, to the Bruins in Malibu, Calif.
Aztecs Against The Field
This season, SDSU has faced eight teams in this year's field of 64, finishing a combined 2-6. The Scarlet and Black posted wins over Pepperdine and Sacramento State, both at the Aztec Tennis Center. Four of the Aztecs' defeats came against teams that were ranked in the top 35 at match time, including No. 2 California, No. 9 USC, No. 28 TCU and No. 35 Washington.
Scouting The Huskies
Washington enters the tournament ranked 32nd in the latest ITA poll released April 27. The Huskies finished the season with a 16-7 record and 3-5 in Pac-10. Washington has been idle since finishing up play at the Pac-10 Championships on April 25. Aleksandra Malovic was the last Husky standing when she fell in her semifinal match, 6-2, 7-5, to Carling Seguso of UCLA. Washington boasts a pair of nationally ranked singles players in No. 19 Venise Chan and No. 78 Denise Dy. Joyce Ardies combined with Dy to earn a No. 47 ranking in doubles competition. At No. 83 Dy makes another appearance in the doubles rankings along with Chan. Jill Hultquist is in her fourth year at the helm of the team.
Series History vs. Washington
Earlier this season, the Huskies took their seventh of the 13 all-time meetings over the Aztecs. On April 10, Washington swept SDSU, 7-0, at the Aztec Tennis Center. The only victory for San Diego State came in second doubles as Roxanne and Sierra Ellison defeated Venise Chan and Aleks Malovic, 8-7 (2). The Aztecs ultimately dropped the doubles point and lost the match.
Aztecs In The Polls
San Diego State is currently ranked 43rd in the nation, according to FILA Collegiate Tennis Rankings released April 27 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). The doubles team of SDSU senior Holly Bagshaw and sophomore Julia Trunk are ranked No. 89.
Ellison's Proving Excellent
Freshman sisters, Sierra and Roxanne Ellison, have combined to become a dominating force in doubles tennis for San Diego State. The Ellisons have tallied an impressive 18-7 dual match record and a 21-10 overall record in doubles, while combining for a 6-2 record in MWC conference play. The sisters have been on a roll recently, taking 13 out of their last 16 outings.
All-Conference Honors
Aztec senior Holly Bagshaw and sophomore Julia Trunk garnerd all-Mountain West Conference honors on April 28. The pair were recognized by the MWC coaches for their performances singles and doubles competition this season. Bagshaw was named in both singles and doubles all-conference categories. The Potters Bar, England, native was also tabbed as player of the week on March 4 for her success against Sacramento State when the senior battled back after going down with an injury in the middle of a tiebreaking set. Bagshaw would go on to win the second singles match and also clinch the victory for SDSU. Trunk was honored along with Bagshaw as an all-conference doubles team. The duo posted an impressive 18-8 overall record in doubles and opened the spring season with seven straight wins in first singles.
The Aztec Coaches
Peter Mattera is in his 28th season at San Diego State and 16th as head coach of the Scarlet and Black. In 15 seasons, the Aztecs' mentor has guided SDSU to 10 postseason appearances, compiling a record of 245-166 (.596) in the process. Equally impressive is the fact that 13 of his 15 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 is in her fourth season as the Aztecs' assistant coach. A four-year letterwinner at SDSU (2000-03), Gamp played on three NCAA tournament teams and helped the Aztecs to a pair of Mountain West Conference regular season titles and a MWC championship crown in 2003.
Last Time Out With The Aztecs
San Diego State traveled to Albuquerque, N.M. to compete in the Mountain West Conference Championships. The Aztecs entered the tournament as the third seed and faced sixth-seeded Utah in the quarterfinals. SDSU dropped the doubles point, with only the Ellison sisters taking a victory in doubles play. San Diego State would not go down without a fight. In singles action, the two MWC schools would trade the overall match lead with the decision coming down to fourth singles, where Roxanne Ellison would utlimately fall despite a strong effort to Leigh Walsh, 7-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4. The Aztecs finished their regular season at 17-8 and 6-2 in conference standings.