Friday, January 17
Long Beach, Calif.
Long Beach State University
vs
Beach Winter Invite
Women’s Tennis Resumes Competition At Home With Beach Tennis Winter Invite
1/15/2025 9:37:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Portland, CSUN and Miami (OH) will join Long Beach State over three days of action at the Rhodes Tennis Center.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – After the winter break, Long Beach State will host their second tournament, the Beach Tennis Winter Invite in preparation for the upcoming Spring dual match season. All eight players for Long Beach State will be in action as Long Beach State welcomes Portland, Miami of Ohio and CSUN to the Rhodes Tennis Center for three days of action.
The tournament format will feature a round robin of singles and doubles matches. Each team will face a different squad each day, with action starting at 11 a.m. Friday and Saturday before a 10 a.m start on Sunday. Since this is a preparatory tournament, each team will have the opportunity to change their lineup for the next day if desired.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, January 17 – 11 a.m.
Doubles – Long Beach State vs. CSUN | Portland vs. Miami (OH)
Singles - Long Beach State vs. Miami (OH) | CSUN vs. Portland
Saturday, January 18 – 11 a.m.
Doubles – Long Beach State vs. Portland | CSUN vs. Miami (OH)
Singles – Long Beach State vs. CSUN | Portland vs. Miami (OH)
Sunday, January 19 – 10 a.m.
Doubles – Long Beach State vs. Miami (OH) | Portland vs. CSUN
Singles – Long Beach State vs. Portland | CSUN vs. Miami (OH)
A TEAM, COMPLETE
Long Beach State added one more player to the young squad, as another freshman Johanna Hiesmair joined the program starting for the spring semester. Coming to the Beach from Austria, Hiesmair rounds out the eight-player squad.
Long Beach State retains an international flavor in the International City of Long Beach as all eight members of the team come from different countries and three separate continents. Representing Austria, Brazil, Italy, Mexico, Paraguay, Romania, Sweden and the United Kingdom, the worldwide influence of tennis has come to meet and compete together in Long Beach.
The Beach features seven freshman and one returning player, junior Paulina Franco Martinessi.
FALL REVIEW
Each player on the roster had strong moments throughout the fall as the team built together after coming together for the first time for competition in October. Diana De Simone had 10 singles wins across three competitions, leading the way for Long Beach State but nearly every player of the roaster was .500 or better in the fall as the team went 42-34 overall in tournament competition. In doubles, Cecilia Costa and Paulina Franco combined for a strong start together, going 5-3 overall while Daria Malaescu and Diana De Simone combined for an unblemished 3-0 record in the fall.
VEGAS BABY
Daria Malaescu highlighted the UNLV Fall Tournament for Long Beach State. The Romanian freshman did not compete in the ITA Southwest Regional but returned in a big way for the final tournament of the fall, going 6-0 and winning her flight in both singles and doubles. Competing with Diana De Simone in doubles, the pair were unbeaten in the fall after going 3-0 in Las Vegas.
ITA SOUTHWEST REGIONAL
Matched up with some of the top competition in the region with berths to the individual NCAA Championships on the line, Long Beach State had a number of strong performances in San Diego at the ITA Southwest Regionals.
Freshman Diana De Simone won a pair of qualifying matches in singles to advance to the main draw of 64, while freshman Cecilia Costa was placed straight into the main draw based on her previous accomplishments. The pair were both matched up against seeded opponents and were knocked out, though De Simone pushed sixth seed Emilija Tverijonaite of Arizona State to the limit in a three-set defeat, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.
Costa, along with Long Beach State's lone upperclassman in Paulina Franco Martinessi combined for a run in the doubles competition as well. Defeating Julia Haynes and Naomi Nguyen of UC San Diego 8-5 in their first match, the duo also won 8-5 against Castillo/Narendran of Arizona to advance to the Round of 16 where they were finally defeated 8-6 in a close match to end their time in the main draw.
BEACH TENNIS FALL TOURNAMENT
Featuring a new format, the Beach Tennis Fall Tournament featured nine out of the ten Big West programs competing in a full main draw in both singles and doubles across four days of packed action at the Rhodes Tennis Center.
Long Beach State saw six of the new freshmen make their collegiate debuts joining Paulina Franco Martinessi. Overall, the team posted a 19-13 combined record in singles while going 6-6 in doubles with all three teams playing together for the first time in competition.
LONG BEACH LEGEND
Long Beach State Head Coach Jenny Hilt-Costello is in her 28th year at the helm of the Beach Tennis program. She owns an overall record of 413-196 for an impressive .678 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). Under her leadership, Long Beach State has more overall victories and more conference victories than any other program in the Big West.
Hilt-Costello has been named The Big West Coach of the Year a league-record nine times (2001, 2004-06, 2008-09, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2019). In 2004, she was named the West Region Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year award. Hilt-Costello announced in January that the 2024-25 campaign would be her final season at Long Beach State.
RHODES TENNIS CENTER
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) Robbins, her husband Les Robbins, both 1974 alums, and brother John Hendricks. The 40-foot-high scoreboard displays match scores on all six competition courts via wireless controls.
STAYING SOCIAL
Follow Long Beach State Women's Tennis on Instagram and X at @LBSUTennis. Fans can stay up to date on all things Long Beach State by following @LBSUAthletics via X. Be sure to "like" us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram at @LBSU.
TENNIS TRADITION
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!"
NEXT UP
The dual match season will officially begin on Saturday, January 25 as Long Beach State will face Seattle U from Eugene, Ore., before facing the Ducks the following day on the road on Sunday, January 26.
The tournament format will feature a round robin of singles and doubles matches. Each team will face a different squad each day, with action starting at 11 a.m. Friday and Saturday before a 10 a.m start on Sunday. Since this is a preparatory tournament, each team will have the opportunity to change their lineup for the next day if desired.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, January 17 – 11 a.m.
Doubles – Long Beach State vs. CSUN | Portland vs. Miami (OH)
Singles - Long Beach State vs. Miami (OH) | CSUN vs. Portland
Saturday, January 18 – 11 a.m.
Doubles – Long Beach State vs. Portland | CSUN vs. Miami (OH)
Singles – Long Beach State vs. CSUN | Portland vs. Miami (OH)
Sunday, January 19 – 10 a.m.
Doubles – Long Beach State vs. Miami (OH) | Portland vs. CSUN
Singles – Long Beach State vs. Portland | CSUN vs. Miami (OH)
A TEAM, COMPLETE
Long Beach State added one more player to the young squad, as another freshman Johanna Hiesmair joined the program starting for the spring semester. Coming to the Beach from Austria, Hiesmair rounds out the eight-player squad.
Long Beach State retains an international flavor in the International City of Long Beach as all eight members of the team come from different countries and three separate continents. Representing Austria, Brazil, Italy, Mexico, Paraguay, Romania, Sweden and the United Kingdom, the worldwide influence of tennis has come to meet and compete together in Long Beach.
The Beach features seven freshman and one returning player, junior Paulina Franco Martinessi.
FALL REVIEW
Each player on the roster had strong moments throughout the fall as the team built together after coming together for the first time for competition in October. Diana De Simone had 10 singles wins across three competitions, leading the way for Long Beach State but nearly every player of the roaster was .500 or better in the fall as the team went 42-34 overall in tournament competition. In doubles, Cecilia Costa and Paulina Franco combined for a strong start together, going 5-3 overall while Daria Malaescu and Diana De Simone combined for an unblemished 3-0 record in the fall.
VEGAS BABY
Daria Malaescu highlighted the UNLV Fall Tournament for Long Beach State. The Romanian freshman did not compete in the ITA Southwest Regional but returned in a big way for the final tournament of the fall, going 6-0 and winning her flight in both singles and doubles. Competing with Diana De Simone in doubles, the pair were unbeaten in the fall after going 3-0 in Las Vegas.
ITA SOUTHWEST REGIONAL
Matched up with some of the top competition in the region with berths to the individual NCAA Championships on the line, Long Beach State had a number of strong performances in San Diego at the ITA Southwest Regionals.
Freshman Diana De Simone won a pair of qualifying matches in singles to advance to the main draw of 64, while freshman Cecilia Costa was placed straight into the main draw based on her previous accomplishments. The pair were both matched up against seeded opponents and were knocked out, though De Simone pushed sixth seed Emilija Tverijonaite of Arizona State to the limit in a three-set defeat, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.
Costa, along with Long Beach State's lone upperclassman in Paulina Franco Martinessi combined for a run in the doubles competition as well. Defeating Julia Haynes and Naomi Nguyen of UC San Diego 8-5 in their first match, the duo also won 8-5 against Castillo/Narendran of Arizona to advance to the Round of 16 where they were finally defeated 8-6 in a close match to end their time in the main draw.
BEACH TENNIS FALL TOURNAMENT
Featuring a new format, the Beach Tennis Fall Tournament featured nine out of the ten Big West programs competing in a full main draw in both singles and doubles across four days of packed action at the Rhodes Tennis Center.
Long Beach State saw six of the new freshmen make their collegiate debuts joining Paulina Franco Martinessi. Overall, the team posted a 19-13 combined record in singles while going 6-6 in doubles with all three teams playing together for the first time in competition.
LONG BEACH LEGEND
Long Beach State Head Coach Jenny Hilt-Costello is in her 28th year at the helm of the Beach Tennis program. She owns an overall record of 413-196 for an impressive .678 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). Under her leadership, Long Beach State has more overall victories and more conference victories than any other program in the Big West.
Hilt-Costello has been named The Big West Coach of the Year a league-record nine times (2001, 2004-06, 2008-09, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2019). In 2004, she was named the West Region Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year award. Hilt-Costello announced in January that the 2024-25 campaign would be her final season at Long Beach State.
RHODES TENNIS CENTER
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) Robbins, her husband Les Robbins, both 1974 alums, and brother John Hendricks. The 40-foot-high scoreboard displays match scores on all six competition courts via wireless controls.
STAYING SOCIAL
Follow Long Beach State Women's Tennis on Instagram and X at @LBSUTennis. Fans can stay up to date on all things Long Beach State by following @LBSUAthletics via X. Be sure to "like" us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram at @LBSU.
TENNIS TRADITION
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!"
NEXT UP
The dual match season will officially begin on Saturday, January 25 as Long Beach State will face Seattle U from Eugene, Ore., before facing the Ducks the following day on the road on Sunday, January 26.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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