
LBSU Hosts Beach Tennis Fall Tournament At Rhodes Tennis Center
10/5/2023 4:04:00 PM | Women's Tennis
The Beach welcome Boise State, Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, and UC Irvine to Rhodes Tennis Center from October 6-8
LONG BEACH, Calif. – The Long Beach State Women's Tennis team returns home to host their first tournament of the year at the Rhodes Tennis Center from Friday, Oct. 6 – Sunday, Oct. 8. Matches are slated to start at 10 a.m., on Friday and Saturday, with Sunday's matches set to begin at 9 a.m.
The Beach Tennis Fall Tournament is comprised of five teams, four of which are Big West opponents. This will give Long Beach State an opportunity to see action against conference teams early in the fall season before facing them in the spring championship season. The Beach Tennis fall tournament will feature Boise State, Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, and UC Irvine.
TOURNAMENT DRAWS (PDF)
ABOUT THE BEACH
The Beach Tennis Fall Tournament is comprised of five teams, four of which are Big West opponents. This will give Long Beach State an opportunity to see action against conference teams early in the fall season before facing them in the spring championship season. The Beach Tennis fall tournament will feature Boise State, Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, and UC Irvine.
TOURNAMENT DRAWS (PDF)
ABOUT THE BEACH
- Long Beach State opened the fall season with a strong showing at the Cal Fall Tournament last weekend.
- The Beach were led by senior Rhona Cook who blew through the Gold Draw to capture the title.
- Cook was excellent as she took down Cal's Lan Mi, 6-4, 6-3, for the title.
- LBSU also got a solid performance from sophomore Hana Becirovic Novak who advanced all the way to the semifinals in the White Draw.
- On the final day of the Call Fall Tournament, the Beach won 8-of-11 matches.
- Newcomer Paulina Franco Martinessi picked up a three-set win over Santa Clara's Velizara Fileva, 6-3, 4-6, 10-6.
- Justine Dondonay defeated UC Davis' Olive Maunupau, 6-4, 6-2.
- Sarah Medik took down Cal's Erin Richardson, 6-4, 7-6.
- Rounding out singles action on the final day of the tournament, Doga Akyurek claimed a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Anastasia Luneva from Nevada.
- Becirovic Novak joined teammate Mathilde Tranberg in doubles competition and won an exciting match against Nevada's Emily Robertson and Gabriela Charalampidi. The Beach duo were on-point as they edged out the pair from Nevada in a thrilling 8-7 victory to close out the Cal Fall Tournament.
- As LBSU heads into the Beach Tennis Fall Tournament, they look to build on their strong showings from last week, while getting the opportunity to play in front of their home fans.
- Long Beach State Head Coach Jenny Hilt-Costello is in her 27th year at the helm of the Beach Tennis program. She owns an overall record of 401-188 for an impressive .680 winning percentage. The winningest coach in Beach Tennis history, Hilt-Costello holds LBSU tennis coaching records in single-season wins (22), career wins (401), and highest winning percentage (.680).
- Senior Rhona Cook kicked off her senior season in a big way. The Chester, United Kingdom native turned in an incredible performance last weekend at the Cal Fall Invitational as she captured the Gold Draw Title.
- Cook faced junior Lan Mi from host school, Cal, in the Finals of the Gold Draw. She promptly took down Mi in the first set, 6-4. In the second set, the two battled out an epic rally of 32 strokes before Cook went down the line to win 6-3.
- While Cook shined in singles action, she also was solid in double play. She teamed up with Peppi Ramstedt and the duo defeated Gonzaga's Carolina Wernli and Lia Espinal with a convincing 8-2 victory.
- The Terry L. Rhodes Tennis Center is the home of the nationally recognized Long Beach State Tennis Program.
- The 12-court complex, which opened in the Fall of 2008, features a unique design with four feature courts divided by a 40-foot-wide public concourse. Grandstands for spectator seating have been placed on four of the six varsity courts. All six of which are lighted.
- Two gifts from Long Beach State alums have resulted in the construction of the on-campus tennis complex for the Beach Tennis team. Terry Rhodes, a 1962 graduate, generously gifted $1.25 million dollars to enhance the new tennis complex and endow multiple women's tennis scholarships.
- The Beach also play in front of a full-sized electronic scoreboard, courtesy of a generous gift from the Hendricks family. It was dedicated in memory of former LBSU Women's Tennis Coach Gloria Hendricks and her husband, Bob. The family also includes former Long Beach State tennis player Cindy (Hendricks) Robbings, her husband Les Robbings, both 1974 alums, and brother John Hendricks. The 40-foot-high scoreboard displays match scores on all six competition courts via wireless controls.
- Follow Long Beach State Women's Tennis on Instagram and Twitter at @LBSUTennis. Fans can stay up-to-date on all things Long Beach State by following @LBSUAthletics via Twitter. Be sure to "like" us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter at @LBSU.
- The traditional player cheer pre-match and each time the team wins a match point is "Here We Go Beach!" All Beach fans are encouraged to follow the team's cheer with their own "Here We Go Beach!"
- Long Beach State will travel down to San Diego, Calif., to compete in the ITA Southwest Regionals from Thursday, Oct. 19-Sunday, Oct. 22.
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