The San Diego State women’s tennis team has had three straight matches against higher-ranked teams.
SDSU is currently riding a four-game winning-streak.
A streak which is even more impressive considering that the 2 p.m. matchup today with North Carolina State at the Aztec Tennis Center is the team’s fourth match of the week – and the third against a higher ranked team.
The secret to the Aztecs (7-4) new-found winning ways is simple – depth.
SDSU has a number of players capable of stepping in at a moment’s notice, with a pair of underclassmen leading the charge.
Thursday, freshman Esther Cadua (9-2) and sophomore Eliska Krausova (8-3) will each seek their sixth straight singles victory.
“They are playing very good, confident tennis right now,” head coach Peter Mattera said. “I think they walk on the court knowing they can beat whoever is on the other side of the net.”
Krausova said the support of Mattera and her teammates has really helped her stay positive.
“We have very good team spirit this year,” Krausova said. “Most of us are friends. Sometimes I get kind of negative and coach cheers me on.”
Meanwhile, Cadua has needed very little encouragement, as she has burst onto the scene in her first year on Montezuma Mesa.
She has lost just two matches all season and was instrumental in Monday’s comeback win against Oregon. She replaced sophomore Sisse Nielsen at the No. 5 position because Nielsen was sick and promptly won the tiebreaker of a three-set marathon battle with Anna Leksinska to give the Aztecs a 4-3 victory.
“The first time a freshman is put in a circumstance like that one (against Oregon),” Mattera said. “With all the screaming and the yelling and the match on the line, you never know how a person is going to respond because so much of that is what’s inside. She handled it like a pro.”
Mattera was also impressed with the way his team handled being down 2-0 against the Ducks, who had lost just one match prior to Monday.
“Even though (our players) were backed up against the proverbial wall, they never stopped taking their swings,” Mattera said. “They never stopped believing. It really takes a good team to rally like that.”
SDSU will once again be tested by No. 41 North Carolina State this weekend, who Mattera said is as good a team as Oregon.
“(North Carolina State) didn’t travel across the country for a vacation,” Mattera said. “They’ve got the depth and they’ve got the players.”
