May 10, 2013
EVANSTON, Ill. -
The 40th-ranked San Diego State women's tennis team saw its stellar season come to an end on Friday as the Aztecs fell, 4-1, to No. 20 Baylor in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. SDSU enjoyed one of the best seasons in the last two decades by posting a 22-6 record, perfect conference mark of 8-0, taking the Mountain West title and making its 22nd NCAA appearance.
"I am so proud of our team and our season," said head coach Peter Mattera. "This was such a highly competitive match and the quality of tennis played today was great. The Aztecs were in every match, competing for each point. I cannot express how proud I am of this team."
The Bears took an early lead on Friday by claiming the doubles point. The fourth-ranked duo of Victoria Kisialeva and Ema Burgic defeated Laura Antonana Iriarte and Michela Casanova in first doubles to put Baylor on the board. On court No. 2, Kiah Generette and Alex Leatu clinched the point for the Bears by getting past Julia Wais and Kristin Buth, 8-4.
Going into singles action down one point, the Aztecs were forced to step up their play. Court No. 1 would see the first singles conclusion as 10th-ranked Ema Burgic brought an end to Wais' impressive collegiate career, 6-0, 6-3. The San Diego State senior had been the only player to compete in the No. 1 spot for the past two seasons. Fourth singles would bring Baylors lead to 3-0 as Generette topped Buth, 6-2, 6-0. SDSU senior Alicia Aguilar would not let the Aztecs be kept scoreless as she finished off Kisialeva in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4. With San Diego State on the board, play on the remaining three courts became intense. Fifth and sixth singles went to three sets as Tami Nguyen and Casanova fought to keep the Aztecs in contention for the win. Jordaan Sanford would end any speculation of the outcome as she defeated Antonana Iriarte in the third slot, 7-5, 6-4.
Despite dropping its first-round match, SDSU's 2013 campaign produced a record that has only been matched once in the past 20 years. In addition, head coach Peter Mattera earned his second consecutive Mountain West Coach of the Year award while seniors Julia Wais and Alicia Aguilar were each named to the all-conference singles team. The women's tennis program added to San Diego State's record-breaking year as the team claimed one of the nine Mountain West championships during the 2012-13 season.