Hawai'i
Women's Tennis Opens Big West Title Defense Saturday in San Diego
4/25/2025 9:30:00 AM | Women's Tennis
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The journey for a second straight Big West Championship begins Saturday for the Cal Poly women’s tennis team when they compete in the semifinals of the conference tournament at Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego.
By virtue of a 7-2 record in Big West play this season, the Mustangs earned the No. 2 seed in the 10-team conference tournament allowing them to receive a double bye to the semifinals. That means Cal Poly will only have to win two matches to defend its crown, claim its third Big West Championship in program history and punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
The run starts at 1 p.m. Saturday when Cal Poly faces the winner of Friday’s match between No. 3 seed Hawai’i and No. 6 seed CSUN in the semifinals.
Live scoring is available for the semifinal match HERE. As of now, there will be no livestream for the match as cameras on the courts are currently down. Follow Cal Poly women's tennis on Instagram (@calpolywtennis) and X/Twitter (@CalPolyWTennis) for live updates throughout the Big West semifinal match.
LOOKING TO REPEAT HISTORY: Last year, Cal Poly captured its second Big West Championship in program history in the most dramatic way possible, making a remarkable run to become the first No. 5 seed to win the conference title. The Mustangs secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament for just the third time in program history by defeating No. 4 seed Long Beach State 4-3 in the Big West quarterfinals, No. 1 seed UC Santa Barbara 4-2 in the semifinals and No. 6 seed Cal State Fullerton 4-3 in the championship match. 2024 grad Melissa LaMette, one of the most impactful players to come through the program in recent memory, earned the dramatic match-clinching point for the Mustangs in all three of their victories at last year’s tourney.
THE FINAL IS A FAMILIAR PLACE: With a win in the semifinals Saturday, Cal Poly would secure a spot in the Big West Championship match at 11 a.m. Sunday for the fifth consecutive year, which would be the longest streak in the conference since Long Beach State made 15 straight appearances in the Big West final from 2001-15.
PRIMED FOR A RUN: The Mustangs have looked strong all season long, boasting an 18-4 overall record — the second most wins in a season in the program's Division I history and the most since going 20-7 in 2003. Cal Poly has also won 15 out of its last 17 matches. Ranked No. 59 in the country entering the Big West Championships this week, the Mustangs suffered a hard-fought 4-0 defeat to Big West regular season champion and No. 32-ranked UC Santa Barbara this past Saturday to finish off regular season play.
SINGLES SUCCESS: Cal Poly has been led by sensational singles play all season long and will look to lean on that in this weekend’s Big West tourney. Five players currently own 14 or more dual singles victories this year. Freshman Jessica MacCallum leads the pack with a resounding 17-3 record, tied for the seventh most wins in a season in Division I program history. She has won her last eight matches that have finished, 17 out of her last 18 and is 15-1 at the No. 5 spot. Senior Peyton Dunkle is 15-2 this season and 14-2 at No. 2, sophomore Natalie Lynch is 15-4 and 12-3 at No. 6, junior Alexandra Ozerets is 15-6 and 11-4 at No. 4 and senior Romane Mosse is 14-7 and 9-4 at No. 3. Cal Poly has a 73.8 percent winning percentage (90-32) as a team in dual singles matches this season.
TOP TANDEM: Cal Poly’s No. 1 doubles pairing of senior Romane Mosse and junior Kennedy Buntrock is 12-4 this season.
RECORD BREAKER: On Senior Day and in her final home match, Dunkle made history in a 6-1 win over UC Irvine on April 13, earning a win in straight sets to surpass Carol Erickson for the most career singles victories in Division I program history with her 52nd. The Arroyo Grande native is also just two doubles wins away from tying the school record for career dual doubles victories (54). She has a 52-20 career singles record and a 52-27 career doubles record.
SEMIFINAL FOE: Cal Poly will find out who they will face in Saturday’s semifinal match following Friday’s quarterfinal between No. 3 seed Hawai’i and No. 6 seed CSUN at 1 p.m. The Mustangs defeated both teams during the regular season, rolling to a 7-0 home victory over CSUN on March 16 and taking down the Rainbow Wahine in Honolulu 5-2 on March 26.
A CHANCE AT REDEMPTION?: If Cal Poly wins its semifinal match, the Mustangs could square off with Blue-Green rival and No. 1 seed UC Santa Barbara — who snapped their nine-match winning streak last Saturday — in the Big West final at 11 a.m. Sunday. The Gauchos went undefeated (9-0) in conference play during the regular season and carry a 10-match winning streak into their semifinal match on Saturday. Last season, Cal Poly defeated top-seeded UCSB in the semifinals to secure just their third victory all-time over the Gauchos in the Big West tournament and their first since 2007.
