SAN DIEGO – San Diego State women’s tennis will open its spring season at the Aztec Tennis Center on Saturday, January 18, in a dual matchup against Point Loma Nazarene at noon.
The Aztecs are coming off a 16-7 2024 season, which concluded with a 7-2 conference record and a Mountain West Tournament Championship, earning the team an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Gloria Alogo, Zoe Olmos and Yasmine Kabbaj, who was the 2024 Mountain West Player of the Year, are the only returners on this year’s roster. Head Coach Peter Mattera added junior transfers Jo-Yee Chan (Oregon) and Ninon Martinache (Georgia Southern), sophomore transfer Vesa Gjinaj (Belmont), in addition to freshmen Charlotte Roesch out of Stuttgart, Germany and Liisa Varul out of Tartu, Estonia.
Returning for her senior year, Kabbaj boasted a 12-2 overall record in 2024, including a perfect 5-0 Mountain West record, putting her atop the conference as the Mountain West Player of the Year. She spent the fall competing in various professional tournaments, including winning a singles championship at the ITF W15 Heraklion in Greece.
The Aztecs competed in four fall tournaments, hosting two on their home courts. Jo-Yee Chan led the team with a 9-4 singles record. Paired up with Ninon Martinache, the duo led the Aztecs in doubles, going 5-2 on the season.
Saturday will mark just the third time San Diego State and Point Loma have met in a dual match under Head Coach Peter Mattera, who took the helm at the start of the 1993-94 season. The two programs faced off on August 24, 2000, and again on February 5, 2018. Both matches were won 7-0 by the Aztecs. The teams were set to meet again on March 19, 2021, but the match was canceled due to COVID-19.
Under Peter Mattera, the Aztecs are 27-5 in spring season openers. Last season, the team welcomed UC San Diego to the Aztec Tennis Center for their home opener, which they won 5-2, after a 1-1 split at the ITA Kickoff Weekend.
You can follow along with Saturday’s match through the live stream:
https://bit.ly/4gX7I9s