Aug. 25, 2006
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State women's tennis head coach Peter Mattera announced the team's 2006-07 schedule Friday. The Aztecs, who advanced to their 19th NCAA Tournament a year ago, will play 10 schools that advanced to the postseason last season, including seven at Aztec Tennis Center (ATC).
SDSU opens the 2006 fall slate by playing host to the first of two SDSU Fall Tennis Classics, Sept. 29-Oct. 1, at ATC. Schools scheduled to compete are Alabama, Arizona, Denver, Florida State and San Diego.
The action continues Oct. 19-23 at nearby Barnes Tennis Center as SDSU and USD play host to the Wilson/ITA West Regionals.
Rounding out the fall is the second SDSU Fall Tennis Classic as the Aztecs welcome Long Beach State, New Mexico, Saint Mary's, UC Irvine and the Toreros to ATC, Nov. 3-5.
San Diego State's dual-match season begins with three straight home matches, including a season-opening doubleheader against CS Fullerton and UC Riverside on Jan. 20. The match against the Titans is slated for a 9 a.m. start, while the Aztec-Highlander contest is set for 3 p.m. SDSU completes the homestand with NCAA Tournament participant California on Jan. 28 at noon.
The Aztecs first road test of the season comes Feb. 1 as they take on Hawai'i in Honolulu. Two days later, SDSU tangles with the Anteaters of UCI before heading back to San Diego for home dates with LSU (Feb. 7) and NCAA participant Arizona (Feb. 9).
After a brief trip to Los Angeles to play a Southern California team that advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament last year on Feb. 13, the Aztecs play host to a season-long four-match homestand at ATC. First on the slate is Long Beach State, who advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season, on Feb. 16 at 2 p.m. Following an eight-day layoff, SDSU plays another tournament team in Rice on Feb. 24, before taking on the 2006 West Coast Conference champion Pepperdine on Feb. 27. The homestand concludes with postseason participant Iowa, March 13, at 2 p.m.
San Diego State hits the road for the last time before conference play when it takes on Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles, March 17. Immediately following the match, SDSU will head back to Montezuma Mesa for a showdown with Washington on March 20.
The Mountain West Conference slate has the Aztecs on the road for its first five matches beginning with three in Las Vegas, Nev. SDSU will play Air Force, Wyoming and Colorado State on consecutive days, March 23-35. After that, the Aztecs will travel to Fort Worth, Texas, for contests against TCU (March 31) and New Mexico (April 1).
Before SDSU concludes league play, it will play host to Oregon on April 7 at noon and then head west to USD for its final non-conference match of the season on April 10.
The Aztecs close the regular and conference season at home, as they welcome Brigham Young, Utah and UNLV to America's Finest City. Similar to the matches in Las Vegas, SDSU will play on three consecutive days at ATC on April 13-15.
For the first time in five years, the MWC will not hold its conference championship in San Diego, as it will take place in Colorado Springs, Colo., April 25-28, with the winner earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
San Diego State enters the 2006-07 season with six returning letterwinners off a team that advanced to the postseason, finished 16-9 overall (6-2 MWC) and ended the campaign with a final ITA national rank of 38 and a No. 7 West Region ranking.