With the Big West Conference tournament right around the corner, the No. 45 Long Beach State women’s tennis team is preparing to win an unprecedented seventh consecutive Big West championship.
The 49ers (17-5, 8-0 Big West) head into the tournament as the No. 1 seed after finishing Big West play undefeated for the third year in a row. The pressure is on to continue winning as the team has posted a dominating 37-1 conference record since 2006, with the last loss coming on March 1, 2007 to UC Irvine.
“We won [at Indian Wells] six years in a row,” freshman Jaklin Alawi said. “We are walking in there winners. Pressure is a privilege and we enjoy the battle.”
The team is heading into the tournament with no major health concerns. Freshman Anna Jeczmionka has recovered from tendonitis in her right arm after sitting out three games earlier this season. Jeczmionka spent the majority of the season at the No. 5 singles spot, finishing the spring season with an 8-5 record at the position and 10-6 overall.
“Right now, our health looks good heading into the tournament, we are strong,” head coach Jenny Hilt-Costello said. “The desert weather is going to be pretty mild this weekend and we are one of the best conditioned teams.”
The 49ers will face tough competition at the tourney, but are confident about their chances.
“We beat all of them during the regular season, but Cal Poly is probably the strongest team,” Alawi said.
The 49ers will face off against the winner of Thursday’s first-round match between No. 8 Cal State Fullerton (3-15, 1-7 Big West) and No. 9 UC Riverside (4-12, 0-8 Big West).
No. 4 Cal Poly (15-6, 6-2 Big West) will likely be the 49ers’ second-round opponent unless the Mustangs fall victim to an upset in the quarterfinals. Their singles team is highlighted by Suzie Matzenauer, who is No. 100 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, and Brittany Blalock. The two combine to form a No. 49-ranked doubles team that could be a handful for any Big West squad.
“We will most likely see Cal Poly on our side of the draw,” Hilt-Costello said. “They came at us really fast during the regular season and their singles are solid all the way down.”
UC Santa Barbara (12-10, 6-2 Big West) locked up the No. 2 seed for the tournament despite finishing the regular season tied with UCI. The Gauchos’ strength is at doubles with the duo of Michelle Murphy and Sofia Novak leading the way.
“They are a feisty, scrappy team and they stay with it until the end,” Hilt-Costello said.
No. 3 seed UCI has the most questions entering the tournament. No. 84 Stephanie Hammel, the reigning Big West Freshman of the Year, has returned to the lineup after being sidelined with injuries for a few matches.
“If healthy, they are a really tough team to beat,” Hilt-Costello said.
With the team consisting mostly of freshmen and sophomores, questions arise about the team’s ability to handle pressure. Hilt-Costello said the 49ers have dealt with pressure before, like at Cal Poly earlier this year.
“I think we will be fine, we have been tested before,” Hilt-Costello said. “We played at Cal Poly with distractions like guys hanging on the fence and yelling at players. When you have won the Big West six times in a row, teams pull out all the stops to beat you.”
The Big West tournament runs from April 29-May 2 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Hilt-Costello said, “To come back again and win a seventh title would be huge and let the freshmen contribute to the winning tradition of the program.”
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