Dec. 1, 2015
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State women's tennis head coach Peter Mattera on Tuesday announced the signing of Berta Acero, Mia Smith and Alli Valk to National Letters of Intent. The trio will be on campus in time to compete during the 2016-17 campaign.
"I am really proud to announce the signing of Alli, Mia and Berta," Mattera said. "They are all great players and accomplished students, and I am certain they are going to continue the excellence of San Diego State women's tennis on the court and in the classroom. They are all really looking forward to starting their college careers, and they will help us maintain a national presence in women's tennis for years to come. Go Aztecs!"
Acero will head to America's Finest City from Logroño, Spain, where she earned a national ranking of 48. Among players her age, she enjoyed a top-10 ranking and was rated in the top 15 in the U18 age group. Acero has competed in Spain's U16 and U18 National Championship in both singles and doubles. At the Regional Championship level, she won titles in 2014 and 2015.
Smith signs with the Aztecs out of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, which is located in England. Ranked 485th in the ITF, Smith won the Tobago ITF doubles title in 2013 and was a finalist at ITF doubles events in Bermuda, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Mombassa and Guadeloupe. In singles, she earned a spot in the semifinals at Guadeloupe and has advanced to the quarterfinals at multiple tournaments. Smith has also represented Kent at the National County Cup for eight years and at the senior level, and played for Great Britain in an international competition vs. France. This past summer, Smith competed at U18 Nationals in a select 32 draw.
Valk hails from Vancouver, Canada, and will make the trip down the Pacific Ocean coastline to Montezuma Mesa. Valk won the Vancouver U18 ITF Junior Championship in October of 2014 and was a doubles finalist at the ITF Copa Coqui – Cabo Rojo 2015 in Puerto Rico back in September. Lastly, she was a U18 Provincial finalist in Canada.