San Diego State women’s tennis wrapped up the SDSU Fall Classic I in style on Sept. 29, with the Aztecs securing five championship victories.
Seven schools participated in the tournament, including the host SDSU, San Jose State, Grand Canyon University, Utah, McNeese State, Cal State Northridge and the University of Texas at El Paso.
Out of the five championship wins for the Scarlet and Black, three came from doubles play.
Head coach Peter Mattera said the performance of his freshman class gave a glimpse into what might be.
“The team had a very fantastic tournament and we had a ton of wins,” Mattera said. “Hopefully that’ll inspire them to keep working hard.”
Leading the charge was junior Nnena Nadozie and sophomore Alicia Melosch, who had complete control of their match against SJSU junior Savannah Sendar and freshman Rozalina Youseva to net the red draw title with a 6-2 victory.
In the black draw, freshman Cécile Morin and sophomore Agustin Rimoldi Gadoy took care of business with a 6-2 victory over Grand Canyon University seniors Celina Buhr and Mathilde Lirzin.
Freshman Julia Jordan and junior Tamara Arnold took command of the white draw, as the pair swept aside Utah sophomores Jasmine Rich and Anya Lamoreaux for the Aztecs’ third 6-2 doubles victory.
Despite it being Jordan’s first collegiate competition, she said she felt a special bond with Arnold in doubles play.
“I think we make such a great team,” Jordan said. “We have a really good vibe while competing and it’s working perfectly at the moment.”
Jordan also saw success in singles play, as the California native netted third place courtesy of a 6-0, 6-0 sweep of University of Texas at El Paso freshman Thassine Abrahim in the gold draw.
Mattera commended Jordan on her tenacity and willingness to leave it all on the court.
“She was rock solid,” Mattera said. “She came out today hunting for bear and she was not going to let go until she went up to shake hands.”
Jordan wasn’t the only Aztec to emerge victorious in singles play.
In the silver draw, SJSU junior Klara Milojkovic was easy pickings for sophomore Agustina Rimoldi Godoy, as the Argentina native finished first in the draw with a 6-2, 6-2 victory.
After dropping her first set, Morin clawed out a 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 victory over Youseva to snag the gold draw title. Arnold also stole a win against Utah sophomore Lindsay Hung in a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 effort in the red draw.
Nadozie, on the other hand, didn’t need three sets to get her second championship win of the day, as she took a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Cal State Northridge’s Ekaterina Repina in the black draw.
Nadozie said she was willed to victory by the support of her teammates.
“I came out pretty loose and solid,” Nadozie said. “It’s always really helpful when your girls are cheering you on.”
SDSU’s next competition will take place on Oct. 17 in the ITA Southwest Regionals at Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego.
