CSUN Tennis Opens Spring Slate at Beach Tennis Winter Invite

Friday, January 19

Long Beach, Calif.

California State University at Northridge

Beach Tennis Winter Invite

Photo by: Connor Clark

CSUN Tennis Opens Spring Slate at Beach Tennis Winter Invite

1/18/2024 2:55:00 PM | Women's Tennis

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Tennis opens the spring schedule on Friday at the Beach Tennis Winter Invite, hosted by Long Beach State. The invite will be contested at the Rhodes Tennis Center from Friday to Sunday.

Other teams set to compete at the invite include Long Beach State, Pacific and Nevada. CSUN will play in singles and doubles matches against each team over the three-day period.

MATADOR FALL RECAP
The Matadors competed at six different invitationals throughout the fall season in preparation for the spring. In October, CSUN's doubles team of Victoria Santibañez Luna and Angela Ho were a perfect 3-0 at the USC Women of Troy Invite with a notable victory over a tandem from UC Santa Barbara while Sasha Turchak and Yuliia Zhytelna also had a perfect 3-0 weekend including notching a win over LMU.

CSUN would compete in the ITA Southwest Regionals as well during the fall slate as Ho picked up an impressive win over USC's Gabrielle Lee. The team of Cindy Ung and Vitoria Solis Urdiales along with Zhytelna and Ho had opening round wins in the doubles round of 64.

The Matadors also hosted their annual Fall Invitational to close the slate in November. CSUN notched nearly 20 singles victories over the three days as Emma Moratalla Sanz had three wins over players from Portland, Middle Tennessee State and Youngstown State while Sofia Dermenjyan had three wins over the likes of UC Irvine, Portland and UTEP. In doubles play, CSUN claimed eight wins on the weekend. Santibañez and Cindy Ung won three times in doubles competition with wins over teams from Middle Tennessee State, Portland and Pacific. Ho and Nicole West were also successful, winning twice against duos from Portland and Pacific.

A LOOK BACK AT 2023
CSUN is coming off its most successful season in two decades in 2023. The Matadors finished with an overall 17-7 record, the team's most wins since 2002. CSUN would also go 6-3 in Big West competition and tie for a second-place finish in the conference. Among the team's highlights to the year were three wins over future NCAA Tournament teams along with two wins over 2022 Big West champion UC Santa Barbara. CSUN also played in the postseason for the first time in 22 seasons by competing in the inaugural Universal Tennis NIT.

WHO IS BACK?
CSUN brings back 11 returners from last season's spring roster along with five newcomers including one junior college transfer. Three All-Big West honorees are among the returning crop including sophomore Angela Ho who was named to the first team in doubles. Graduate Sasha Turchak and junior Yuliia Zhytelna both return after earning second team accolades in singles while the tandem also received an honorable mention in doubles.

Other returners include senior Victoria Santibañez Luna, juniors Jacqueline O'Neill, Jasmine Tolmoyan and Cindy Ung, and sophomores Sofia Dermenjyan, Tallia Harper, Emma Moratalla Sanz and Vitoria Solis Urdiales.

New to the team this season is Santa Monica College transfer Nicole West along with freshmen Elena Goodman, Annette Robertson, Madison Shepperson and Sydney Wilson.

Head coach Gary Victor enters his 27th season leading the Matadors this spring.

UP NEXT
After this weekend, CSUN will open Big West play on Feb. 6 with a home matchup with UC Riverside at 2 p.m.

#GoMatadors