One week removed from a loss that took away its perfect record, San Diego State women’s tennis appeared ready to make a statement.
The Aztecs, who faced off against Cal Poly at the Aztec Tennis Center on a cold, windy day, won in decisive fashion, knocking off their competitors in a perfect 4-0 sweep with each player winning in straight sets.
“That was a really, really wonderful effort by the team today,” head coach Peter Mattera said. “Both on the court and with the support off of the court.”
The Aztecs improved to 5-1 on the season and seemed to be in sync right from the start, quickly winning the doubles point following victories from Jenny Moinard and Shakhnoza Khatamova (6-2) and Alicia Melosch and Nnena Nadozie (6-3).
Freshman Shakhnoza Khatamova stood out as one of the top players on the day in singles action, although the start of her match was probably not how she envisioned it.
Khatamova found herself behind in the first set, but she was able to bounce back and ended up blowing her opponent out of the water with a straight set victory with scores of 6-1 and 6-3.
“[Shakhnoza] brings as much energy as I’ve ever seen to a college tennis match. I love that, I think the team loves that,” Mattera said. “She brings a lot to the table and really adds a lot to the team.”
Another stand out performance from the match came from the racket of Abbie Mulbarger. The freshman made quick work of her opponent in straight sets, controlling nearly the entire match and never seemed to be in trouble, winning 6-1, 6-3.
“I had really good energy,” Mulbarger said. “It felt good to have all my teammates’ energy, supporting me, and I was also just hitting the ball, getting her on the run and taking advantage of my short ball opportunities.”
At this point the Aztecs were up by a score of 3-0 and were looking to clinch yet another shutout victory.
The deciding game came from freshman Agustina Rimoldi, who continued the trend of winning in straight sets. Even though she was the sixth seed in this matchup, she seemed to pick apart her opponent like a master tactician. Rimoldi ultimately knocked off her opponent 6-3 and 6-4 to give the Aztecs the victory.
Up next on the schedule is California on Feb. 15 and Arizona State University on Feb. 16 at the Aztec Tennis Center.
“We have a couple of good tests coming up,” Mattera said. “I think that we are going to continue to focus on taking care of our own business out on the court and against those schools, you really have to maximize your offensive opportunities.”
