San Diego State’s two intercollegiate tennis teams embark on the 98th season of Aztec tennis with matches in January.
The Aztec men open on Jan. 12 at home against Oklahoma State, ranked 22nd last year. The men play UCSD Jan 18th off campus at the Santaluz Country Club near Rancho Santa Fe.
The women open at home against UC Riverside on Jan. 25 and UC San Diego on Jan. 26th.
This is the latest installment of an Aztec tennis history that began with the formation of a college men’s tennis club in 1922.
This year, with players from across the globe, the two squads are bidding to improve their identical 15-10 won-loss records in 2019.
Coached by Peter Mattera and Nico Vinel, the women are Tamara Arnold of Switzerland, Julia Jordan of Long Beach, Alicia Melosch of La Jolla and Germany, Cecile Morin of France, Abbie Mulbarger of Woodbridge, CA, Nnena Nadozie of Los Angeles, Agustina Rimoldi Godoy of Argentina, and Mia Smith of England.
The men are Jules Auffray of France, Rafael Gonzalez Almazan of Spain, David Hough of Australia, Jan Kirchhoff of Germany, Ignacio Martinez of Weston, FL, Aaro Pollanen of Finland, Arnaud Restifo of France, Fabian Roensdorf of Germany, Alex Scemanenco of Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA, and David Traxler of Dallas, TX.
The men are coached by Gene Carswell, Jeff Thomsen, and Larry Willens.
“They look to me to be one of the best men’s teams we’ve seen in probably five years,” said Willens, a respected former pro tour coach and admired figure in World Team Tennis.
The men spend much of the season traveling, hosting just eight home matches, starting Jan 12 (Oklahoma St), Feb. 28 (UC Davis), Mar. 5 (SD Christian) and Mar. 16 (Harvard).
The women play 13 foes at home, including Alabama on Jan. 31st and USC on Feb. 21st.
The Mountain West Conference Championships for men are scheduled April 24-26 at the Air Force Academy in Colorado. The Aztec men reached last year’s final.
Coach Carswell said his team has vowed to win the title: “We have a solid group of experienced returners, supported by quality additions to the team. Our strong schedule will push us, while providing opportunities to rise in the rankings. I’m excited.”
The women’s schedule includes travel for three matches in Las Vegas, on April 11 (UNLV), April 17 (New Mexico) and April 19 (Air Force). The Mountain West Conference Championships for women are scheduled April 23-25 in Tucson, AZ.
Coach Mattera assessed the prospects for success “The team had an extremely strong Fall season, all eight of the Aztecs are playing at a very high level in both singles and doubles.
“We are all really looking forward to the Spring championship season.”
2020 Aztec Women Home Matches:
Jan 25 UC RIVERSIDE
Jan 26 UC SAN DIEGO
Jan 31 ALABAMA
Feb 15 CAL STATE FULLERTON
Feb 16 CAL POLY
Feb 19 HAWAI’I
Feb 21 USC
Mar 7 GRAND CANYON
Mar 10 SAN DIEGO
Mar 12 YOUNGSTOWN STATE
Apr 3 NEVADA
Apr 4 FRESNO STATE
Apr 5 SAN JOSE STATE
Peter Mattera, Head Coach
Nicolas Vinel, Assoc. Head Coach
2020 Aztec Men Home Matches:
Jan 12 OKLAHOMA STATE
Jan 18 UCSD (Santa Luz CC)
Feb 28 UC DAVIS
Mar 5 SAN DIEGO CHRISTIAN
Mar 16 HARVARD
Mar 27 NEW MEXICO
Mar 29 AIR FORCE
Apr 1 CAL POLY
Apr 11 UTAH STATE
Gene Carswell, Head Coach
Jeff Thomsen, Assoc. Head Coach
Larry Willens, Volunteer Coach