Photo by: Chuck Marvel
2024-25 CSUN Top Moments - Women's Tennis Tandem Shines, Victor Surpasses 100 Career Big West Wins
6/30/2025 11:01:00 AM | Women's Tennis
From June 11 to August 11, GoMatadors.com will present the top CSUN Moments from the 2024-25 sports season. Today, we celebrate the Women's Tennis team and the doubles duo of Yuliia Zhytelna and Madison Shepperson, as well as head coach Gary Victor on reaching a milestone.Â
In women's tennis this past season, the Matadors boasted an 11-10 overall record, including a 7-3 home mark. There was one particular doubles tandem however, that made a huge impact in 2025. The captain of the squad, a senior from the Ukraine, Yuliia Zhytelna decided to take a freshman under her wing, Madison Shepperson. A newcomer from Mira Loma, Shepperson made a big impact on the team. Throughout the year, the duo couldn't be tamed. Zhytelna and Shepperson found their groove immediately, winning their first nine matches out of the gate as they finished the season with a 10-2 record.Â
Â
Both players had various doubles partners to begin the season and the early matches are usually a time where teams try to figure out what combinations of players work best to move forward throughout the rest of the campaign. Zhytelna and Shepperson first took the court on March 1 against Pacific. In the showdown against the Tigers, they were matched up against Rayna Sugai and Maggie Hoe. Zhytelna and Shepperson earned the win, defeating Sugai/Hoe 6-4, helping CSUN earn the doubles point on the way to winning the match 5-2.Â
Â
The next week, Zhytelna and Shepperson dominated Lorena Cedeno and Yoana Dudova of Youngstown State by a score of 6-1, as CSUN won the doubles point in a sweep over the Penguins, 4-0.Â
Â
The duo then won their contests against Fresno State, Cal Poly, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara and Cal State Fullerton, before falling to UC San Diego's Katelyn Vu and Adriana Tabares in the last match of the regular season against the Tritons.
Â
Zhytelna and Shepperson had the highest doubles winning percentage on the team at an 83% success rate. The duo even earned a win in the postseason, taking down Fullerton's Kaytlin Taylor and Seha Yu, 6-4, as CSUN won its first round matchup against the Titans, 4-3. The superstar tandem was a big reason why the team earned its doubles point in the win.Â
Â
Another highlight of the 2024-25 season belonged to the long tenured head coach of the Matadors, Gary Victor. Over his 28 seasons at the helm, Victor has 353 wins and 261 losses, the highest winning percentage of any CSUN tennis coach in its history. Entering the season, Victor was one win away from 100 conference victories. He would reach the 100 mark when CSUN defeated UC Irvine, 6-1 on March 22. The victory marked the seventh consecutive win over the Anteaters. CSUN has not been defeated by UC Irvine since 2017.
Â
2024-25 became the 22nd season where Coach Victor eclipsed more than 10 wins in one campaign. In 2025, CSUN also earned its first postseason win since 2023. Only coach Jim Bracken has been at Northridge longer than Victor, as Bracken just finished his 39th season.
Â
During his two-decade plus tenure as head coach, Victor has led eight different teams to national rankings
#GoMatadors
In women's tennis this past season, the Matadors boasted an 11-10 overall record, including a 7-3 home mark. There was one particular doubles tandem however, that made a huge impact in 2025. The captain of the squad, a senior from the Ukraine, Yuliia Zhytelna decided to take a freshman under her wing, Madison Shepperson. A newcomer from Mira Loma, Shepperson made a big impact on the team. Throughout the year, the duo couldn't be tamed. Zhytelna and Shepperson found their groove immediately, winning their first nine matches out of the gate as they finished the season with a 10-2 record.Â
Â
Both players had various doubles partners to begin the season and the early matches are usually a time where teams try to figure out what combinations of players work best to move forward throughout the rest of the campaign. Zhytelna and Shepperson first took the court on March 1 against Pacific. In the showdown against the Tigers, they were matched up against Rayna Sugai and Maggie Hoe. Zhytelna and Shepperson earned the win, defeating Sugai/Hoe 6-4, helping CSUN earn the doubles point on the way to winning the match 5-2.Â
Â
The next week, Zhytelna and Shepperson dominated Lorena Cedeno and Yoana Dudova of Youngstown State by a score of 6-1, as CSUN won the doubles point in a sweep over the Penguins, 4-0.Â
Â
The duo then won their contests against Fresno State, Cal Poly, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara and Cal State Fullerton, before falling to UC San Diego's Katelyn Vu and Adriana Tabares in the last match of the regular season against the Tritons.
Â
Zhytelna and Shepperson had the highest doubles winning percentage on the team at an 83% success rate. The duo even earned a win in the postseason, taking down Fullerton's Kaytlin Taylor and Seha Yu, 6-4, as CSUN won its first round matchup against the Titans, 4-3. The superstar tandem was a big reason why the team earned its doubles point in the win.Â
Â
Another highlight of the 2024-25 season belonged to the long tenured head coach of the Matadors, Gary Victor. Over his 28 seasons at the helm, Victor has 353 wins and 261 losses, the highest winning percentage of any CSUN tennis coach in its history. Entering the season, Victor was one win away from 100 conference victories. He would reach the 100 mark when CSUN defeated UC Irvine, 6-1 on March 22. The victory marked the seventh consecutive win over the Anteaters. CSUN has not been defeated by UC Irvine since 2017.
Â
2024-25 became the 22nd season where Coach Victor eclipsed more than 10 wins in one campaign. In 2025, CSUN also earned its first postseason win since 2023. Only coach Jim Bracken has been at Northridge longer than Victor, as Bracken just finished his 39th season.
Â
During his two-decade plus tenure as head coach, Victor has led eight different teams to national rankings
#GoMatadors
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
A Conversation With Gary Victor
Friday, May 29
Meet the Matadors - 2017 Women's Tennis
Thursday, January 26