WOMEN'S TENNIS: Freshman joins top-notch field at Riviera

By Kevin Scarpati The Daily Aztec

October 9, 2007

San Diego, CA (CSTV U-WIRE) -- For the San Diego State women's tennis team, there's no rest for the weary.

Mere hours after completing her first tournament at SDSU, freshman Olivia Colman was driving up to Pacific Palisades as the only representing Aztec in the ITA All-American Tournament held last Tuesday at the Riviera Tennis Club.

The premier hard-court event of the fall season featured the top players from Division I tennis, as 21 of the 23 main draw participants are ranked in the top 25 in the nation.

The perfect chance for a young player to pick up valuable experience.

"It's a good honor for the team and the club," head coach Peter Mattera said. "It provided a good opportunity for Olivia to measure herself with the best in the country."

Although Colman dropped both singles matches she played, Mattera saw many positives.

"She played very well," Mattera said. "She played through her nervousness and had a fantastic second match."

That second match came against No. 70 Vanessa Frankowski of Eastern Michigan. However, Colman was unable to pull off the upset, losing 6-2, 6-1.

In the first round of action, Colman was defeated 6-0, 6-1 by No. 88 Liz Ferris of Utah. The two losses drop Colman to a 2-3 record in singles matches this season, but she wasn't discouraged.

"I was shocked at first at how different the level of competition is here," she said. "It was a good opportunity for me to gain a lot of experience playing against different types of players."

The Los Angeles native grew up just minutes from the Riviera Tennis Club. As if playing in her hometown wasn't enough pressure, Colman was the reigning Riviera Club Champion, so many of the spectator's eyes fell solely on the shoulders of the SDSU freshman.

"I thought I handled the pressure well, even though I did not perform as well as I would've liked," Colman said.

Despite the setbacks, Mattera sees a bright future for Colman as an Aztec.

"She's a good athlete, a quick learner and, most importantly, she wants it," Mattera said. "She's in a great position and a great place here in San Diego to continue to improve and mature as both a player and a person."

Cal's Susie Babos took home her second straight All-American Tournament title, defeating Clemson's Ani Mijacika 7-5, 2-6, 6-2.