SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State Aztecs women’s tennis team was bested 4-0 by No. 32 SMU at the Aztec Tennis Center on Thursday. The Mustangs took an early lead, winning the point in tightly contested doubles matches.
SMU played aggressively, breaking 42nd-ranked Aztecs previously undefeated at-home 9-0 record.
“It's going to be a very, very tough match for us and a great test," said Aztec head coach Nicolas Vinel before the match."We’ve had a season of conference matches so far, so we're stepping away a little bit for this match today .... (SMU is) well tested from the ACC, so we're expecting a battle.”
SDSU's No.50-ranked doubles team of Jo-Yee Chan/Vessa Turley came up short against the 10th ranked duo in the country, Amelie Van Impe/Caroline McGinley, while SDSU's Gloria Alogo/Liisa Varul were edged out by Natalie Stasny/Sophie Llewellyn, both falling short, 6-4.
Aztec Vessa Turley cheers for her teammate. Belen Palamino Young / Her Sports San Diego
Because SMU had already earned the doubles point, SDSU’s Jayna Clemens/ Ninon Martinache and SMU’s Ellie Mireles/Addison Comiskey did not finish their match but were tied, 5-5.
“I think personally, I just want to be supportive with my teammates and also just keep a positive attitude ... no matter what's happening," said Clemens. "(Whether) we're winning or losing, everyone can just feel a good presence overall from me.”
The Aztecs, despite ongoing losses, never ceased cheering each other on. Shouts of “Let’s go ‘tecs!” came from all players toward each other.
Struggling to recover from the doubles losses, SDSU did not win any singles matches. Alogo, Teja Tirunelveli, and Chan lost in two sets to the Mustangs in the 2nd, 5th, and 1st spots, respectively. No. 63 Van Impe challenged Chan relentlessly across both doubles and singles. Aztecs Martinache and Vesa Gjinaj had each claimed their opening sets and were leading in the second when their matches were called.
The Aztecs are back to Mountain West play today versus New Mexico at 11 a.m. SDSU is now 11-3 overall and 3-1 in conference play.
Ever wondered how NCAA collegiate tennis is scored?
Teams start with three doubles matches, and the first team to win two out of three earns one team point, the "doubles point.” Each doubles match is played as a single six-game set.
Teams then compete in six singles matches, each worth one point and played as best-of-three sets.
The first team to reach four total points wins the dual match. Often, any remaining matches are stopped once a team clinches the win.
So the next time you see a final score, you’ll know: if the total points add up to seven, all matches were completed. If not, one team clinched the match early.
Top Photo: Jayna Clemens. Credit: Belen Palamino Young / Her Sports San Diego
