Photo by: John Fajardo
Beach Tennis To Play Three Matches In Washington D.C. Area
2/26/2025 12:59:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Long Beach State will play Georgetown, Navy and George Washington in their trip to the East Coast.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – In a trip to the East Coast, Long Beach State Tennis will play three matches, taking on Georgetown, Navy and George Washington starting with the Hoyas on Thursday, February 27. The Beach has won three straight matches heading into the road trip.
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
at Georgetown
Thursday, February 27, 11:45 a.m. (8:45 a.m. PT)
Yates Field House
at Navy
Friday, February 28, 1 p.m. (10 a.m. PT)
Tose Family Tennis Center
Court Cams | Live Stats
at George Washington
Saturday, March 1, 11 a.m. (8 a.m. PT)
Southeast Tennis and Learning Center
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 freshmen and one returning player, junior Paulina Franco Martinessi.
ON A ROLL
Long Beach State has won three straight matches as the Beach continues to challenge themselves in the schedule with all three wins coming with four points for the Beach. Last week, LBSU snapped a four-match losing streak against LMU with a 4-3 win behind the efforts of Cecilia Costa, who won with Johanna Hiesmair in the top flight in a victory over a Top 50 doubles team to take the doubles point and then won her singles match in a 4-3 win. The Beach previously defeated San Diego State 4-2 as well as grabbing a Big West win over CSUN also by a 4-3 margin.
SCOUTING SESSION
The Beach continues a tradition of taking one major trip each season, and will take on three opponents the team rarely faces. Friday marks the first meeting between Navy and Long Beach State, while the Beach has a 2-0 record against George Washington and a 1-0 record against Georgetown.
The Hoyas are 5-3 overall and are led by sophomore Emily Novikov, who has been playing in the top flight in both singles and doubles. Navy begins the week with a .500 record a 7-7, while George Washington is 4-3 after having lost their last two matches. The Revolutionaries do boast a 5-2 win over Navy earlier this season.
LAST TIME OUT
The road swing for Long Beach State started with a trip up the road to LMU. Long Beach State's most common all-time opponent outside of the Big West, the series is even once again at 27-27 after a 4-3 win for the Beach. Cecilia Costa and Johanna Hiesmar's 6-2 win over #48 Bozova/Rogozinska-Dzik helped carried LBSU to the doubles point, and then wins from Costa and Thea Jagare set up a deciding point at the fours, where freshman Daria Malaescu rallied from a first set to clinch the match with a 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 win over Anastasia Bozova.
BEACH TENNIS WINTER INVITE
Long Beach State finished with a combined record of 30-6 over three days at the Rhodes Tennis Center, including finishing the tournament's final day with an unblemished 30-6 overall record. In the mixed round robin format, Long Beach State won all three singles slates against CSUN, Portland and Miami of Ohio. Diana De Simone won all three of her singles matches in the second flight, and newcomer Johanna Hiesmair made her debut for the Beach with a pair of wins each in doubles and singles.
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 416-198 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, and highest winning percentage. 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
After returning from Washington D.C. Long Beach State begins an extended homestand at the Rhodes Tennis Center. The Beach will play six straight home matches, beginning March 6 against Youngstown State.
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
at Georgetown
Thursday, February 27, 11:45 a.m. (8:45 a.m. PT)
Yates Field House
at Navy
Friday, February 28, 1 p.m. (10 a.m. PT)
Tose Family Tennis Center
Court Cams | Live Stats
at George Washington
Saturday, March 1, 11 a.m. (8 a.m. PT)
Southeast Tennis and Learning Center
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 freshmen and one returning player, junior Paulina Franco Martinessi.
ON A ROLL
Long Beach State has won three straight matches as the Beach continues to challenge themselves in the schedule with all three wins coming with four points for the Beach. Last week, LBSU snapped a four-match losing streak against LMU with a 4-3 win behind the efforts of Cecilia Costa, who won with Johanna Hiesmair in the top flight in a victory over a Top 50 doubles team to take the doubles point and then won her singles match in a 4-3 win. The Beach previously defeated San Diego State 4-2 as well as grabbing a Big West win over CSUN also by a 4-3 margin.
SCOUTING SESSION
The Beach continues a tradition of taking one major trip each season, and will take on three opponents the team rarely faces. Friday marks the first meeting between Navy and Long Beach State, while the Beach has a 2-0 record against George Washington and a 1-0 record against Georgetown.
The Hoyas are 5-3 overall and are led by sophomore Emily Novikov, who has been playing in the top flight in both singles and doubles. Navy begins the week with a .500 record a 7-7, while George Washington is 4-3 after having lost their last two matches. The Revolutionaries do boast a 5-2 win over Navy earlier this season.
LAST TIME OUT
The road swing for Long Beach State started with a trip up the road to LMU. Long Beach State's most common all-time opponent outside of the Big West, the series is even once again at 27-27 after a 4-3 win for the Beach. Cecilia Costa and Johanna Hiesmar's 6-2 win over #48 Bozova/Rogozinska-Dzik helped carried LBSU to the doubles point, and then wins from Costa and Thea Jagare set up a deciding point at the fours, where freshman Daria Malaescu rallied from a first set to clinch the match with a 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 win over Anastasia Bozova.
BEACH TENNIS WINTER INVITE
Long Beach State finished with a combined record of 30-6 over three days at the Rhodes Tennis Center, including finishing the tournament's final day with an unblemished 30-6 overall record. In the mixed round robin format, Long Beach State won all three singles slates against CSUN, Portland and Miami of Ohio. Diana De Simone won all three of her singles matches in the second flight, and newcomer Johanna Hiesmair made her debut for the Beach with a pair of wins each in doubles and singles.
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 416-198 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, and highest winning percentage. 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
After returning from Washington D.C. Long Beach State begins an extended homestand at the Rhodes Tennis Center. The Beach will play six straight home matches, beginning March 6 against Youngstown State.
Players Mentioned
Long Beach State Tennis Match Point Win Over Brown
Wednesday, March 27
Tennis 2017 Season Preview
Thursday, January 26
60 Seconds at The Beach: Women's Tennis Ebba Unden
Monday, July 18