Cal Poly women’s tennis head coach Hugh Bream knows his team has a difficult schedule this spring season, with five opponents ranked in the top 25.
So why not hit the ground running?
The Mustangs open their spring schedule at the Cal Winter Invitational today.
“(Cal is) one of the contenders for the NCAA title this year along with Fresno State and St. Mary’s,” Bream said Monday at a weekly press conference of the tournament field. “It’s a great way to prepare us for our first dual matches of the season the following weekend with USC and Pepperdine.”
After the Cal Winter Invitational ends Sunday, Cal Poly visits USC on Jan. 19 and Pepperdine on Jan. 20. Those matches are followed by a contest at UCLA on Jan. 23.
“What’s exciting about our schedule is we’re going to be playing five of the top 25 teams in the country,” said Bream, who is 69-40 in his six years at the helm. “USC, UCLA, Pepperdine, Arizona State and Berkeley. We’re going to get a great opportunity to immerse ourselves in that culture early. See what we’re doing well and find out those areas we want to improve as well.”
Cal Poly was 12-10 and third at 5-2 in the Big West Conference last season. The Mustangs will be gunning for their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2003.
At the forefront of that effort will be senior Carol Erickson, who was 20-9 last season.
“Carol is one of the most unique people I’ve had in 21 years of coaching,” Bream said. “She’s put in a lot of extra time outside of practice. She’s improved every aspect of her game, especially her serve and her ability to be aggressive. I feel like she’s a level up right now above any time she’s been in the past. She’s going to really step up at the top of the (singles) lineup.”
Erickson, who was 7-4 with Samantha Waller in doubles last year, will pair with freshman Steffi Wong this season. Erickson and Wong were 7-3 during the fall portion.
Bream said his recruiting class was recently ranked No. 3 among mid-majors and 29th among 310 Division I programs overall.
Leading the newcomers is freshman Brittany Blalock, who won the first collegiate tournament she played in during the fall season when she took the Fullerton Invitational. She had a 12-2 record in the fall.
Others Bream will be counting on include sophomores Maria Malec and Shannon Brady and freshman Diane Filip.
“We have a great young group this year,” Bream said.
Cal Poly visits three-time defending Big West champion Long Beach State on March 3.
The Mustangs’ home opener in the spring season is a nonconference date against St. Mary’s on Feb. 9.