For head coach Hugh Bream, the close of the 2009-10 Cal Poly women’s tennis season is bittersweet.
“It was one of my most satisfying years in coaching, so I’m really proud of time and effort the girls put in with just tremendous attitude and enthusiasm,” Bream said.
While two players will make a run at a national championship, some plan for life after tennis and still others train for next season.
Continuing their winning season, in which they posted a 17-3 record in dual matches, seniors Suzie Matzenauer and Brittany Blalock received invitations and will compete in the NCAA Individual Championships in Athens, Georgia on May 26.
“I am excited that my season is not over and I get one more shot at college tennis with my doubles partner, Suzie,” Blalock said.
Bream said his team always showed up ready to play.
“Right away, these girls trained all summer to prepare … they went in immediately and got wins against best players in the country since the first day of practice in September to this point,” he said.
The season started at the All-American Tournament Fall Invitational for the nation’s best players, where junior Amy Markhoff won over top-ranked Florida State and Michigan players, Blalock beat a top player from Georgia and Matzenauer got a win over the No. 3 player in the country.
The team played in 10 tournaments in fall and climbed to number 52 in the national rankings.
Bream said the experience gained during fall season carried into the second half of the season.
The Mustangs played 10 nationally ranked teams, including UCLA and Stanford, which are usually the two best two teams in the country. They lost in the semifinal game of the Big West Tournament to top seeded Long Beach State and will not contend for the NCAA Championship.
“We played an excellent match: we prepared, very fit, very sharp, very positive, they were just too much for us,” Bream said.
Despite the disappointing loss to a team that had won six straight conference championships, Bream said the the focus is now on the future.
“We would have liked to have done more, but I think everybody in the program put everything they had into it and we’re going to have to be satisfied,” he said.
The Mustangs will lose four starters to graduation, which in tennis, Bream said, is a big turnover.
He said it’s a matter of time before the team develops its identity and that the fall season is an important part of player development.
“Fall is all about taking the returning players and meshing them with the new players,” he said.
Bream said he has an extremely strong recruiting class, with five new players joining the team, and they have great potential to become great Division-I athletes.
“It’s just a question of ‘How soon?’” he added.
The examples on and off the court left by his seniors lead Bream to say that he believes continued success is to come.
“They just set a great tradition for the teams that follow of being national caliber Division-I athletes as well as excellent students at a very challenging university,” he said.
Blalock said the last four years have been memorable.
“I will miss my team; we were so close this year. They are my second family,” she said. “I will also miss Coach Bream, because he has inspired me to be the best player and person that I can be. He will have a lasting impact on my life.”
Senior Diane Filip, who hails from Denmark, said she will miss her teammates and thanks her family for support during her four years.
“Tennis is a part of my life, it always has been and will always have a special place in my heart, though I am certain I won’t find a special group of people like my teammates,” she said.
Bream said all four seniors didn’t cut any corners.
“They went into their senior year with no distractions, which is hard,” he said. “To carry a the 3.5 or higher GPA, and at same time be the best senior class in Cal Poly history, they just put everything they had into this.”
Filip said balancing tennis and studies was a challenge, and she learned how to manage both efficiently.
Although it has been tough to juggle school and sport, being a part of the team and playing under Bream has shaped her into the person she is today, Filip added.
“Coach Bream is awesome as a person and as a coach. His positivity and motivational way of coaching this sport has made me a happier player on the court, which showed in my game. I thank Hugh for giving me this opportunity,” she said.