FULLERTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton's women tennis gets their first taste of conference play as they head to UC Riverside to face off against the Highlanders, Saturday at 11:00 a.m. PT.
OPPONENT AND HISTORY
The last time these two squads met, they met under similar circumstances. The Highlanders vs. Titans match opened 2016-17 Big West Conference play on Feb. 11, 2016. The Titans swept the Highlanders and earned an impressive 7-0 victory. The win marked a 1-0 start to Big West play.
CSF currently leads the series record 17-5 dating back to 2000.
Riverside's current record is 1-3 overall for the season. Fullerton holds an overall record of 2-1.
WEEKEND RECAP
Fullerton spent the weekend in Florida, taking part in the ITA Kickoff Weekend. The Titans had an early start as Saturday's (1/27) match against No. 3 Florida was pushed to 6:00 a.m. PT in an attempt to avoid the rain. Unfortunately, Fullerton was no match for the reigning national champions, as Florida swept the match 4-0.
The Titans would go on to face Marshall in third place on Sunday (1/28). Fullerton avenged themselves and recorded a 4-1 over Marshall. The Titans moved to 2-1 for the season.
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
The Titans season opener (1/18) 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.
IN THE RANKINGS
Freshman Genevieve Zeidan continues to lead the charge for the Titans, she is currently a stellar 12-2 overall in singles play and 2-1 in dual match play. 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 11-2 overall in doubles play and 2-1 on court one in dual match action. The duo has won eight of their last nine matches
ABOUT DIANNE MATIAS
Matias enters her fifth year with the Titan Tennis program. She owns an overall coaching record of 63-53 and 56-38 mark while with Fullerton. She was named the Big West Conference Coach of the Year in 2016.
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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).