IRVINE, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton women's tennis claims three Big West All-Conference honors on Wednesday with standout Genevieve Zeidan headling as Freshman of the Year.
Zeidan made history as the first Cal State Fullerton recipient of Freshman of the Year honors. The native of Taipei, Taiwan was instrumental in helping the Titans to program firsts – a trip to the Big West Tournament finals and a 20-win season.
Zeidan played between No. 1 and No. 2 singles, amassing a 20-6 dual match record, including a perfect 10-0 mark at No. 2. Zeidan won 12 straight matches at one point. She finished 8-3 against Big West opponents, counting regular season and tournament matches, and helped the Titans achieve the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament, which tied a program record.
Zeidan also was the only Big West individual to defeat Player of the Year Petra Melounova of Hawai'i. Zeidan spent time this season ranked among the nation's top 125 in the Oracle/ITA singles poll, reaching a high of No. 97.
Along with claiming Freshman of the Year, Zeidan also earned a spot on the First-Team for Singles play. Karla Portalatin and Sarah Nuno also join Zeidan among those honored on the First-Team Singles.
Portalatin played a large role in the program's historic year. She clinched the match against Long Beach State to snap Fullerton's 23 consecutive matches losing streak. Portalatin also clinched during the quarterfinals match against No.6 seed CSUN where the Titans advanced to the semis with a 4-0 win over the Matadors.
Portalatin finished singles play with an overall record of 25-7. She finished the season with an eight-match win streak. Her final win came in the program's first Big West Championship match against Marina Hruba (UH) 6-2, 6-2. Portalatin went 18-3 on court number three.
Nuno also played a role in this season's vast advancements. She finished the season 26-9 with a six-match win streak. Nuno went undefeated in conference play 8-0. Nuno was also the only other point in the championship match against Hawai'i. Nuno finished Nikola Dolakova (UH) 6-3, 7-6 (7-5). After moving to singles court number two, Nuno went 10-0.
The dynamic duo of Portalatin and Nuno also nabbed an honor together finding a spot on the First Team for doubles play.
Nuno and Portalatin took reign on doubles court number one going 26-6 overall. The tandem went 17-5 on court number one and finished 6-1 against Big West competitors.
Cal State Fullerton finished their historic season 20-6 (6-2 BWC). Fullerton earned the No.3 seed and recorded their first trip to the Big West Conference Championship match where they fell to Hawai'i 4-2. The 2017-18 campaign is the winningest season in program history.
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