FULLERTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton's women's tennis hits the road for the first time this season to take on No. 3 Florida on Saturday at 6:00 a.m. PT in the opening round of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend.
OPPONENT AND HISTORY
This will be the first time these two teams will face off against one another. The Gators are currently the defending NCAA champions.
FUN FACTS ON FLORIDA
The Gators are certainly one of the teams to beat coming into the 2018 campaign. The defending national champions boast three ranked individuals in No. 8 Anna Danilina, No. 30 Josie Kuhlman, and No. 37 Brooke Austin
STARTING WITH A SHUTOUT
Fullerton (1-0) is coming off a hot 7-0 season-opening win against UC San Diego. The Titans successfully secured their fourth straight season-opening win. The Titans managed to win every singles set in the opener
SISTER ACT
Thursday's season opener marked the Valenzuela's reign on the court. Alexis Valenzuela returned to the courts as the new volunteer coach, while sister, Taylor, embarked on her first match as a Titan.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
Cal State Fullerton welcomed five incoming freshmen for the 2017-18 campaign, Caisey Lee Emery, Jadie Acidera, Tiani Jadulang, Taylor Valenzuela and Genevieve Zeidan. The group was ranked the ninth-best incoming class among mid-majors according to TennisRecruiting.net. As the new Titans took the courts for their first collegiate match, they each secured a victory in singles play. Zeidan took down UC San Diego's Ashley Chao 6-0, 6-3, to earn her first victory at the No.1 spot.
UP NEXT FOR THE TITANS
Fullerton's opponent for Sunday is yet to be determined as the ITA Kick-Off Weekend will commence Saturday. The Titans will either take on Marshall or Louisiana-Monroe on Sunday
IN THE RANKINGS
Freshman Genevieve Zeidan continues to lead the charge for the Titans, she is currently a stellar 11-1 overall in singles play and 1-0 in dual match play. She is currently riding a five-match win streak. Zeidan enters the spring ranked No. 103 in ITA Singles Poll.
FULLERTON'S DYNAMIC DUO
Sarah Nuno and Karla Portalatin are starting to come on strong for the Titans as well. The tandem is currently 10-1 overall in doubles play and 1-0 on court one in dual match action. The duo is currently riding a seven-match win streak.
ABOUT DIANNE MATIAS
Matias enters her fifth year with the Titan Tennis program. She owns an overall coaching record of 62-52 and 55-37 mark while with Fullerton. She was named the Big West Conference Coach of the Year in 2016.
HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT
The Titans will take on the defending NCAA champion Florida Gators in Gainsville, Florida on January 27th. The Gators are currently ranked No. 3 in the nation.
CATCH ALL THE ACTION
Keep up with the Titans and follow along with live stats on Twitter, @CSUFTennis.
SUPPORT THE TITANS!
Fans can purchase tickets for various Cal State Fullerton athletic events by visiting FullertonTitans.com/Tickets. The Athletic Ticket Office can also be contacted by phone at 657-278-2783 or by email at athletictixs@fullerton.edu. The Ticket Office is located at the Titan House off of Gymnasium Drive at the eastern end of the Intramural Fields and is open from 10 am – 4 pm PT, Monday – Friday.
FOLLOW THE TITANS
Fans can keep up with the latest in Titans athletics by following us on Facebook (@FullertonTitans), Twitter (@FullertonTitans), and Instagram (@FullertonTitans) and Snapchat (FullertonTitans). In addition, the women's tennis team has established its own official Twitter page (@CSUFTennis), Facebook Page (@CSFWomensTennis), Instagram (@CSUFTennis) and Snapchat (CSUFTennis).