TEMPE, Ariz. – San Diego State women’s tennis came up just short in a 4-3 heartbreaker against No. 18 UCLA in the opening round of the NCAA Regionals, hosted by Arizona State on Friday.
The 51st-ranked Aztecs finish the season 21-4 overall and 10-1 in conference play, notching the eighth 20+ win season in program history while also capturing Mountain West regular season and tournament championships.
The Bruins improve to 17-7 overall and will take on the winner of the afternoon matchup between Arizona State and Denver on Saturday.
The Aztecs came out strong in doubles competition, winning their 20th doubles point of the season. Gloria Alogo and Liisa Varul first earned a 7-5 victory over Kayla Chung and Ahmani Guichard. Jo-Yee Chan and Vessa Turley then took down the 24th-ranked doubles team in the nation, Olivia Center and Kate Fakih, 7-6 (7-3) on the top court to clinch the point. Jayna Clemens and Ninon Martinache were tied up at 6-6 against No. 64 Mayu Crossley and Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer in the second spot when the point was captured.
UCLA struck first in singles competition with a win on court two, where Martinache was bested 6-3, 6-0 by No. 35 Crossley. Chan then responded, putting the Aztecs back in front after taking down 15th-ranked Lutkemeyer 7-5, 6-3 for a top 20 victory on court one. Alogo made the score 3-1 in San Diego State’s favor, defeating Fakih 7-5, 6-0 in the third spot.
It was a back-and-forth battle on the bottom three courts. In the sixth spot, Teja Tirunelveli fell 6-1 to Guichard in the first set, but rallied to a 6-3 win in the second. The third set was neck-and-neck, but ultimately went the way of the Bruins by a score of 7-5. On court four, Clemens fell behind after being tripped up 6-4 by Bianca Fernandez, but she tied things up with a 7-6 (7-4) win in the second set. The Aztec came up short 6-2 in the third to bring the match score to 3-3.
It all came down to the fifth court matchup between Vesa Gjinaj and Olivia Center. Gjinaj took the first set 6-4, but fell 7-6 (7-0) to Center in the second set. The Bruin then clinched the match in the third by a score of 6-3, bringing the Aztecs’ successful 2026 campaign to an end in Tempe.
Doubles
1. Jo-Yee Chan/Vessa Turley (SDSU) def. #24 Olivia Center/Kate Fakih (UCLA) 7-6 (7-3)
2. Ninon Martinache/Jayna Clemens (SDSU) vs. #64 Mayu Crossley/Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer (UCLA) DNF 6-6
3. Gloria Alogo/Liisa Varul (SDSU) def. Kayla Chung/Ahmani Guichard (UCLA) 7-5
Singles
1. Jo-Yee Chan (SDSU) def. #15 Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer (UCLA) 7-5, 6-3
2. #35 Mayu Crossley (UCLA) def. Ninon Martinache (SDSU) 6-3, 6-0
3. Gloria Alogo (SDSU) def. Kate Fakih (UCLA) 7-5, 6-0
4. Bianca Fernandez (UCLA) def. Jayna Clemens (SDSU) 6-4, 6-7 (4-7) 6-2
5. Olivia Center (UCLA) def. Vesa Gjinaj (SDSU) 4-6, 7-6 (7-0), 6-3
6. Ahmani Guichard (UCLA) def. Teja Tirunelveli (SDSU) 6-1, 3-6, 7-5
Order of Finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (2,1,3,6,4,5)