March 17, 2010
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - San Diego State sophomore Roxanne Ellison has been named Mountain West Conference Women Tennis Player of the Week, the league announced Wednesday morning. The award is Ellison's first of her career.
The Coto de Caza, Calif., native helped the Aztecs to a perfect 2-0 week after they defeated Loyola Marymount, 6-1, and upset No. 48 Saint Mary's, 4-3. Ellison finished the week with a 2-0 record in singles and a 1-1 mark in doubles.
In the match vs. the Lions, Ellison and her sister, Sierra, were 8-4 winners at No. 1 doubles over their LMU counterparts of Jane Pringle and Elisaveta Pironkova. The effort provided SDSU with the necessary win to secure the point as the contest moved into singles play. In singles, Ellison continued her solid play and defeated Shauna Nixon, 4-6, 6-1, 10-8, at No. 5.
Later in the week, Ellison and the Aztecs dropped the doubles point to nationally ranked Saint Mary's and fell behind 3-0 before San Diego State started its rally. The Aztecs managed to battle back from three down and tie the match, which set the stage for Ellison. After winning the first set, 6-2, and then losing the second, 1-6, Ellison struggled to find a rhythm and consequently was looking at a 2-5 hole in the third set. Like her teammates, Ellison was not to be denied on this day and stormed back to claim the final set, 7-6(5), to secure SDSU's seventh victory of the season.
Ellison is the first Aztec to win Mountain West weekly honors and the first since March 4, 2009, when Holly Bagshaw was recognized.