2009 Tennis Year In Review

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09_Final MW Tennis Release

Long Beach State's Hannah Grady capped off an illustrious career as the first, four-time winner of Big West Women's Tennis Player of the Year. Photo by Steve Chen

UC Santa Barbara and Long Beach State maintained their stronghold on the Big West tennis world in 2009 as the Gaucho men won their fourth straight title while the 49er women captured their a league record-tying sixth consecutive crown.

UC Santa Barbara Men Extends Championship Streak To Four

UC Santa Barbara continued a solid run with its fourth consecutive men's tennis Tournament championship as the exclamation point on the 2009 season.  The Gauchos equalled the Big West record for most consecutive titles originally established from 1987-90 by UC Irvine.
   
UCSB also won the title for the sixth time in the last eight years.  The Gauchos accomplished the feat as the No. 4 seed, the lowest seeded position in any of their championship runs.  UCSB also managed to do so without its No. 1 player, Philip Therp, who was sidelined for most of the season with an injury.  
   
The Gauchos outlasted outlasted UC Davis, Pacific and UC Irvine, defeating the No. 5, No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in succession to continue its success at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
   
The championship also vaulted the Gauchos into the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight time and ninth appearance overall.  UCSB drew No. 8 nationally ranked USC on its home court in a tough first round matchup and lost 4-0.  UCSB concluded the season 11-14.
   
Stepping up in Therp's absence was UCSB sophomore Alex Konigsfeldt, who earned Big West Co-Player of the Year honors with Pacific's Moritz Starke.  Konigsfeldt, a native of Vedbaek, Denmark, was instrumental in the team's charge to the Big West Tournament title after defeating fellow first team all-conference performers Starke and UC Irvine's Steven Henderson in Indian Wells.  He finished 9-8 in No. 1 singles dual matches.
   
UC Santa Barbara's Marty Davis captured Coach of the Year honors for the fourth straight time after leading the Gauchos to the tournament title.  He also took the Gauchos to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time during his tenure.  Cal Poly's Andre Dome was named the Freshman of the Year.

Long Beach State Dynasty Reaches Six Straight

The Long Beach State women's tennis program celebrated 2009 with another addition to the trophy collection.  The 49ers claimed their sixth straight Big West Tournament championship.
   
LBSU posted victories against UC Riverside, Cal State Northridge and UC Irvine to extend their tournament match winning streak to 18 straight at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.    The title had historical ramifications as LBSU tied the conference record for most consecutive tournament titles (6) and broke the mark for most overall titles (7) - all under head coach Jenny Hilt-Costello.
   
LBSU completed the season ranked No. 51 in the nation and wrapped up the Big West regular season title with an undefeated 8-0 campaign.
   
The 49ers reached the NCAA Championships for the sixth consecutive year and seventh time in the last eight seasons.  LBSU fell 4-0 to LSU in the first round of the postseason tournament to finish the season 18-8 overall.
   
UC Irvine also had a successful season, finishing 16-8 overall and 7-1 in league play.  The Anteaters garnered a final Campbell/ITA national ranking of No. 57.  Stephanie Hammel captured league Freshman of the Year recognition for the Anteaters.
   
Cal Poly made strides as a program in 2009 as the Mustangs came in third in the Big West and was the only conference school to have two players named to the all-conference first team – juniors Brittany Blalock and Suzie Matzenauer.
   
The best overall winning percentage belonged to UC Santa Barbara.  The Gauchos collected a .727 winning percentage by virtue of a 16-6 overall record.

BIG WEST NEWS AND NOTES

Grady Named Player of the Year For Fourth Straight Time: Long Beach State senior Hannah Grady put the another seal on an illustrious career with her fourth Big West Player of the Year award.  The native of Coventry, England completed an undefeated season against Big West opponents with an 11-0 record at No. 1 singles and finished 20-5 overall in dual matches.  She is the first individual in Big West history to earn four straight women's tennis Player of the Year awards.

Widjaja Selected To NCAA Singles Field: Pacific sophomore Jenifer Widjaja, the highest ranked Big West singles player at No. 92 in the Campbell/ITA poll, received an automatic berth into the NCAA Singles Championship in College Station, Tex.  She lost in the first round to Aurelija Miseviciute of Arkansas, 6-1, 6-2.  Widjaja was the first Tiger since Tracee Lee in 1994 to compete in the 64-player tournament.

UC Santa Barbara Claims Seventh Men’s Tennis Title: The UC Santa Barbara men's tennis program ranks second all-time in Big West history with seven conference tournament championships.  The Gauchos won their most recent title in April in Indian Wells, marking their fourth straight championship and sixth in the last eight years.