The CSU Stanislaus Women’s tennis team recently returned from the PacWest Conference Championships in Surprise, Arizona where they finished in fifth place out of twelve competing teams.
The Warriors entered the tournament as the #12 seed, the very last out of fifteen teams to qualify for the tournament. The tournament took place from April 19-22.
The Warriors made history on the very first day when the underdogs upset the #5 seed Fresno Pacific 4-3 to be the first #12 seeded team to make it past the first round of the tournament.
This was the first time they had ever beaten Fresno Pacific in the thirteen years the two teams competed. This was also the first time the Warriors competed against the Sunbirds since January when Fresno Pacific won 6-1 in a scrimmage.
In the duel on April 19th, the Warriors won the doubles point by winning the #1 and #3 doubles matches.
In the singles, #6 player Emma Yu won her match 6-3, 6-2 to give the Warriors another point. The Sunbirds managed to win matches at #2, #3, and #5 singles, leaving the Warriors with two more matches they needed to win.
The next match to finish was #1 singles, with Amber Huk defeating a 2023 First-Team All-PacWest awardee in three sets, with a score of 0-6, 6-3, 6-2.
This match evened the team score to 3-3, giving #4 player Annabelle Mulick a chance to clinch the win for the Warriors with a score of 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. The tensions were high this entire morning, with the overall battle lasting almost four hours.
The Warriors’ win against the Sunbirds solidified their place in the quarterfinals, making them the first #12 seed to make it past the first round of the PacWest Conference Championships.
This was a huge feat for the Warriors, who did not qualify for the 2022 Conference Championships, finishing last season in 13th place out of fifteen teams.
In February of 2023, the PacWest Conference pre-season polls were released, with votes placing the Warriors in 13th place again. The Warriors defied the odds this year by finishing in fifth place.
In the quarterfinals of the PacWest tournament, the Warriors faced the #4 seed Point Loma and battled hard but lost 4-0 to the Sea Lions.
The most competitive matches were unfinished on the #1 and #2 singles courts, with #1 player Huk leading 7-6, 3-0 and #2 Zuzanna Dziewiecka battling back in her second set. The #3 doubles pairing of Kate Bolton and Alyssa Tay were also in a close battle, being down 3-4 when their match was halted.
The Warriors shook off their loss and bounced back in the backdraw against the #9 seed MSU Denver, winning 4-3 in another nail-biter of a match. The Warriors lost the doubles point, forcing them to win four singles matches in order to get the win.
At #2 singles, Dziewiecka won 6-0, 6-1 to quickly put the Warriors on the board. Stan State also got wins at #5 and #6 singles, with #5 player Bolton winning 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 and #6 Yu winning in straight sets, 6-2, 7-5.
These wins gave Mulick a chance to clinch at #4 singles, with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. This upset was huge for the Warriors because it gave them a chance to compete for fifth place on the final day of the championships.
In the fifth place playoff, the Warriors faced a familiar foe, #10 seeded Hawaii Hilo, who the Warriors previously lost to with a score of 5-2 in February this year.
The Warriors came in with a lot of confidence after upsetting two tough teams in the tournament so far. The Warriors got off to a good start by quickly winning the doubles point on courts #2 and #3.
The #1 doubles match went unfinished, with the Warriors leading on that court too. The first singles match to finish was at #1, with Huk defeating her opponent 6-3, 6-0, providing the Warriors with another point that added to their lead.
Not long after, Mulick won 6-2, 6-1 at #4 singles, putting the Warriors at a 3-1 lead. The clinch for the Warriors came from Yu on court 6, who won 6-4, 6-0 to solidify Stan State’s third upset of the tournament.
This was the last match for the Warriors’ four seniors: Bolton, Cazarin, Huk, and Maya Young, who celebrated their senior day on April 6th.
The Warriors finished the tournament with an outstanding 3-1 record, giving them a fifth-place finish behind Hawaii Pacific, Azusa Pacific, Point Loma, and Concordia.
The entire team topped off their accomplishments on Monday, April 24th by earning the title of “Warriors of the Week” by the Stan State Athletics department. “We put in so much hard work, lots of sweat, pain, sacrifices, and commitment to achieve our goals,” said Dziewiecka (junior, Psychology).
The Warriors’ fifth-place finish in the PacWest Conference Championships is the highest they’ve placed in over twelve years.