Match 22
Cal State Fullerton at No. 66 Long Beach State
Date: Friday, April 15
Time: 2:00 PM
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Rhodes Tennis Center
Series Record: LBSU leads 21-0 (dating back to 2000)
FULLERTON, Calif. – Just one match in the regular season remains as the Cal State Fullerton women's tennis team travels to 66th-ranked Long Beach State at 2 p.m., Friday, for a contest at Rhodes Tennis Center.
The 49ers (15-4, 7-0 BWC) are currently at the top of the Big West Conference standings, and a win would clinch LBSU its ninth regular season title. The Titans (17-4, 6-1 BWC) suffered their first conference loss, 5-2, to UC Santa Barbara on Sunday at Titan Tennis Courts and are currently tied with the Gauchos for second in the standings. UCSB (13-7, 6-1 BWC) concludes the regular season at Cal Poly on Saturday.
A win over LBSU could result in a possible three-way tie at the top of the Big West Conference standings, however even with a loss, the Titans will finish no worse than third, again a program best.
CSF IN THE RANKINGS: Team: None| Singles: None | Doubles: No. 45 Camille De Leon/Alexis Valenzuela
LBSU IN THE RANKINGS: Team: No. 66| Singles: No. 72 Maeva Razakasoa | Doubles: No. 37 Laura Eales/Hayley Thompson
NEWS & NOTES
- The latest Oracle/ITA Collegiate Tennis Women's Doubles Rankings were released on Tuesday, and Camille De Leon and Alexis Valenzuela were ranked for the first time this season at No. 45 following a victory over then 15th-ranked Palina Dubavets and Stefani Stojic of UCSB on Sunday.
- With the Titans' 4-0 victory over Cal Poly on Saturday, Fullerton earned its sixth league win, the most for the program in its history.
- With a 6-1 victory over UC Irvine on April 2, Cal State Fullerton recorded its 16th win of the season, setting the program record for victories in a single season.
- The Titans' win against the Anteaters also snapped a 20-match losing streak to UC Irvine which dated back to 1998.
- Fullerton's 6-1 victory against Wyoming on March 16, ended a six-match losing streak against the Cowgirls which dated back to 2000.
- The Titans boasted an eight-match win streak from Feb. 3 – March 7, the longest for the program on record dating back to 1981.
- On Jan. 24, Cal State Fullerton produced a 5-2 win at San Diego State, defeating the Aztecs for the first time in a series that totals 30 meetings.
- Alexis Valenzuela's 16 wins at the No. 1 position are the most for the program since prior to 2001 (first date of individual stats on record).
- Karla Portalatin's 16 victories in the spring are the most for a freshman since prior to 2001 (first date of individual stats on record).
- The No. 1 doubles team of Camille De Leon and Alexis Valenzuela has totaled 13 doubles wins, the most for a Titan No. 1 doubles team since Adriana Hockicko and Eleanor Luzano finished the 2001 season with a record of 13-9 at the top of the order.
- Fullerton has won the doubles points in 15 matches this season, and the Titans have never lost after earning the doubles point.
NUMBERS
Fullerton boasts an 86-36 (.705) record in dual singles matches, led by two-time all-Big West Conference First Team selection junior Alexis Valenzuela, who is 16-3 playing at the top of the order while also on a team-leading seven-match win streak.
On a four-match win streak, junior Camille De Leon (16-5) has won eight of her last 10 contests.
Freshman Karla Portalatin boasts a 16-5 singles record playing most recently at No. 3 in the order. She has also won eight of her last 10.
Sophomore Danielle Pham is 13-5 on the year, while freshman Sarah Nuno is 13-8. Fellow rookie Masako Makiba is 10-9 in 2016.
On the doubles side, the Titans have won the doubles point in 15-of-20 matches this season, totaling a 36-11 (.766) doubles record in 2016.
De Leon and Valenzuela play at the top of the lineup, and are currently ranked No. 45 in the Oracle/ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings following a victory over then 15th-ranked Palina Dubavets and Stefani Stojic on Sunday.
The pairing of Nuno and Pham at No. 3 in the order has resulted in a 12-5 record, which also included a 10-match win streak during the season. Portalatin and Makiba are 9-5 at No. 2 doubles.
OPPONENT NEWS & NOTES
Long Beach State needs just one more victory to capture its ninth Big West Conference regular season championship. Entering the week, the 49ers have won eight matches in a row, boasting No. 72 Maeva Razakasoa on the singles side and No. 37 Laura Eales and Hayley Thompson in doubles play.
UP NEXT: The Big West Championship begins Thursday, April 28, at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
DE LEON NAMED ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Junior co-captain Camille De Leon was voted the Big West Conference Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week after leading the Titans to its seventh-straight victory as Fullerton upset Hawai'i, 4-2, on March 3.
De Leon scored victories in singles and doubles action to help the Titans upset No. 56 Hawai'i, 4-2, to improve to 3-0 in Big West play.
De Leon helped CSF win the doubles point, partnering with Alexis Valenzuela at the No. 1 position to defeat Sarah Gealer and Klara Pribylova, 6-4. De Leon then put the Titans up 3-1 in the match with her 6-3, 6-1 triumph over Sarah Gealer.
MAKIBA RECEIVES FIRST AWARD
Freshman Masako Makiba was voted the Big West Conference Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week on Feb. 24 after leading the Titans to a 2-0 record with wins over Pacific and UC Davis in the Titans' Big West Conference opener.
The native of Matsumoto City, Nagano, Japan, went undefeated in both singles (2-0) and doubles action (2-0).
It was Makiba's 7-5, 6-4 victory over UCD's Tiffany Pham that scored the fourth and match-deciding point for the Titans against the Aggies as CSF won its league opener for the first time since 1995.
Makiba also outlasted Pacific's Sabrina Rodriguez, 7-6 (4), 6-4, helping fuel a 5-2 victory. With partner Karla Portalatin, she also won both of her doubles matches.
VALENZUELA EARNS HONORS
Junior Alexis Valenzuela was voted the Big West Conference Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week on Jan. 27 after leading the Titans to a 2-1 record, which included an historic victory over San Diego State.
Valenzuela earned Athlete of the Week honors for the second time in her career following an undefeated performance as she finished 3-0 in singles action at the top of the lineup and 2-0 on the doubles court.
Her 6-4, 6-1 win over Kennedy Davis of San Diego State helped the Titans to a 5-2 team win, marking the first time in 30 meetings that Fullerton defeated the Aztecs. The West Covina, Calif., native teamed with Camille De Leon at No. 1 doubles for a 6-4 win over the Aztec duo of Isabelle Hoorn and Taylor Lederman that ultimately helped CSF secure the doubles point.
FALL 2015
Cal State Fullerton competed in four fall events as junior Alexis Valenzuela (4-2) and sophomore Danielle Pham (6-4) each posted winning records. Freshman Sarah Nuno finished her first collegiate competition at 5-5. The Titans completed singles action at 27-34, and found success on the doubles courts with a 19-15 overall record. Valenzuela teamed with fellow junior Camille De Leon as the pair managed a 5-2 mark.
2015 SEASON RECAP
The Titans finished the 2015 season with an overall record of 10-12 as well as a 2-6 mark in Big West Conference action. For the second straight year at least three Titans earned all-league honors as Alexis Valenzuela, Camille De Leon and Megan Sandford received Big West Conference Women's Tennis honors.
Valenzuela, the Titans No. 1 player for the majority of 2015, was named to the Big West All-Conference First Team for the second consecutive season after completing her sophomore campaign with a dual singles record of 8-6 at the top of the lineup.
De Leon was named Big West Honorable Mention in singles action for the first time in her career. She completed the year with a dual singles record of 12-9 as she finished 2015 with a record of 3-3 at the top of the lineup and a record of 9-6 at No. 2. In addition, De Leon completed Big West dual singles competition at 5-3. In addition, for the second straight year, the La Mirada, Calif., native received Big West Conference Second Team doubles honors as De Leon and senior Megan Sandford earned the accolade. The team of De Leon and Sandford managed an 11-10 dual record at the No. 1 spot as well as a winning record of 5-3 in league play.