Jan. 30, 2008
SAN DIEGO -
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AZTECS HEAD TO SEATTLE FOR TWO MATCHES
The 46th-ranked San Diego State women's tennis team (2-0) continues the 2008 season on the road as it heads to Seattle, Wash., for back-to-back matches. The Aztecs will square off with Gonzaga on Friday, Feb. 1 at 9 a.m., and will be right back in action on Saturday with a noon showdown against host No. 55 University of Washington.
Last weekend, SDSU opened the dual-match campaign in dominating fashon as they defeated UC Riverside, 6-1, before sweeping Cal State Fullerton, 7-0. The Aztecs dropped just one singles and one doubles match on the day.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
D.J. Gurule enters his fourth year as head coach of the Gonzaga women's tennis team and returns six letterwinners from a 2007 squad that finished with a 4-18 record. Leading the way for the Bulldogs is senior Emily Anderson, a two-time all-West Coast Conference selection. Anderson concluded last season with a team-leading 13 victories in singles action.
Also in the mix is 2007 all-WCC honoree Aglaya Kokurina, who finished with a 12-9 record in dual-match play.
SERIES HISTORY VS. GONZAGA
This will mark the first meeting between Gonzaga and SDSU. The Aztecs are currently 61-37 against West Coast Conference schools.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
The University of Washington is off to a 3-1 start under third-year head coach Jill Hultquist. The Huskies are coming off two victories last weekend when they upset then No. 28 BYU, 4-3, before sweeping Eastern Washington, 7-0.
Individually, UW is led by freshman Venise Chan who has a 4-0 mark in dual-match play and has upset two ranked players in her last three matches.
Sophomore Joyce Ardies is one of six returnees for the Huskies and is coming off a solid freshman campaign in which she finished with a team-leading 16 singles victories. Also in the mix are seniors Tara Simpson and Allison Rainey, who collected 13 wins apiece in 2007.
SERIES HISTORY VS. WASHINGTON
San Diego State trails in its series with UW by a 6-5 count, but have won the last three meetings. The two teams met last year, with the Aztecs sweeping the Huskies, 7-0, in San Diego.
The Aztecs have struggled against Pac-10 schools in the past as they hold a 53-135 all-time record against the elite conference.
AZTECS IN THE POLLS
San Diego State is currently ranked 46th in the nation according to the FILA Collegiate Tennis Rankings released Jan. 29 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). The next team poll is scheduled to be released on Feb. 5.
Individually, freshman Julia Trunk is ranked among the top 100 singles players in the nation, coming in at No. 61.
NIELSEN'S BIG DAY
Senior Sisse Nielsen went 4-0 in the Aztecs' season-opening doubleheader, winning both her singles and doubles matches. Nielsen teamed with Kathryn Kitts to defeat Roxanne Plata and Alex Khoury of UC Riverside, 8-4, before dispatching Khoury (6-1, 6-3) in singles play. The Alleroed, Denmark, native then swept Breanna Stowell of Cal State Fullerton, prior to rejoining Kitts for an 8-1 thrashing of Jerusha Cruz and Brandy Andrews.
THE COACHES
Peter Mattera enters his 27th season at San Diego State and 15th as head coach of the Scarlet and Black. In 14 seasons, the Aztecs' mentor has guided SDSU to 10 postseason appearances, compiling a record of 217-146 (.598) in the process. Equally impressive is the fact that 12 of his 14 squads have finished with an overall record of .500 or better despite playing one of the toughest schedules in the nation on an annual basis.
Lindsey Gamp begins her third season as the Aztecs' assistant coach. A four-year letterwinner at SDSU (2000-03), Gamp played on three NCAA tournament teams and guided the Aztecs to a pair of Mountain West Conference regular season titles and a MWC championship crown in 2003.
Larry Willens enters his 10th season as a volunteer assistant coach for SDSU. He assists the Aztecs with team practices, one-on-one drills, on-court coaching at matches and tournament seeding at the various fall tournaments that SDSU plays host to.
FALL HIGHLIGHTS
San Diego State had several outstanding individual performances during the fall season. Freshman Julia Trunk defeated a pair of ranked players en route to an appearance in the semifinals at the ITA West Regionals held at Barnes Tennis Center.
Junior Holly Bagshaw captured the Flight 1 singles title at the second SDSU Fall Classic and freshman Olivia Colman went 3-0 at the same tournament to win Flight 4. Both Trunk and Colman concluded the fall with a team-high nine victories.
2006-07 REVIEW
SDSU finished the 2007 dual-match campaign with a 14-12 overall record and a 6-2 mark in the Mountain West Conference. The Aztecs made their 20th appearance in the NCAA tournament and acheived a final ITA ranking of No. 49.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Since the opening of the Aztec Tennis Center in 2005, SDSU has won 69 percent of its home matches, posting a 27-12 record. All 12 defeats have come at the hands of teams ranked in the top 60.