The San Diego State women’s tennis team has been battling all season, first against a very tough non-conference schedule and second against injuries and illness. But with its first win against a nationally ranked opponent last week, SDSU is now looking to put together a two-game winning streak as it hosts Syracuse at 2 p.m. today at the Aztec Tennis Center.
The Aztecs enter the match with a record of 5-6, hardly what would be expected from a team that lost in the Mountain West Conference Championship last year and then returned all six of its top individuals. However, four of those losses have come at the hands of nationally ranked opponents, most notably No. 5 Cal and No. 17 USC. And SDSU hasn’t even begun its conference season yet.
“We always schedule tough and that helps us in a variety of ways,” head coach Peter Mattera, who has been at the helm for 18 years, said. “It helps with getting our team prepared for the conference season which is going to be very competitive this year. It helps your strength of schedule and that will help down the road when it comes to NCAA Tournament selection time.”
Of course, if the Aztecs happen to knock off any of those ranked teams, it bodes well for increasing their status. SDSU did just that, beating No. 30 Pepperdine last Wednesday. Although SDSU began the season ranked No. 57 in the nation and has since fallen out, a win like that should put it back among the nation’s top 75.
“Considering we had just had a few close losses and we haven’t beaten a top team in a while, that win was really, really good for us,” senior co-captain Olivia Colman said. “And considering we have had some injuries, I think that win was a good sign.”
An ankle sprain has left the Aztecs playing the last month without junior Roxanne Ellison, who, when not injured, pairs with sister Sierra Ellison to form a doubles team ranked No. 28 in the nation. Illnesses have been a factor too as a few players were sick on more than one match day.
“If we would have been at full strength I think that a couple of those matches that were losses could have and probably would have turned into wins,” Mattera said. “But that’s just the nature of the beast.”
Talent will undoubtedly carry a team through the low points of a season though, and the Aztecs have no shortage of that, starting with senior co-captain Julia Trunk, who is the team’s No. 1 player and has been in and out of the national rankings throughout the season. Along with Trunk, sophomore Alicia Aguilar has also spent time in the national rankings this season and was the recipient of the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year award last year. The Aztecs will again look to their talented roster today against a 10-2 Syracuse squad.
“We’ve got eight really solid players and in college tennis, that depth, you can’t even put a price on that,” Mattera said. “A lot of times there’s a drop-off toward the bottom of the roster and we don’t really have that drop-off here.”
It’s this depth combined with a strong work ethic that leaves little doubt the Aztecs will only continue to improve as the season moves on.
“They work hard and they’re well-conditioned, I think better than most teams they play,” Mattera said. “I love their work ethic and I love them. I have had, and still have, high expectations for this group.”
AT A GLANCE:
When: 2 p.m. today
Where: Aztec Tennis Center
Why to watch: The Aztecs are finally healthy
and coming off of a huge win against a top-30 nationally
ranked program.
