SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The University of San Diego women's tennis team (1-8, 0-2 WCC) prep for their third conference match-up against the No. 14 Pepperdine Waves.

San Diego (1-6, 0-0 WCC) vs. #14 Pepperdine (7-4, 1-0 WCC)
Wednesday, March 25th at 1:30 p.m. - PT
San Diego, Calif. - Skip and Cindy Hogan Tennis Center

LAST TIME OUT: The Toreros struggled as they opened conference play last weekend against the No. 51 San Francisco Dons and Santa Clara Broncos.

After the falling to the Toreros for the last three years straight, the No. 51 Dons were determined to break that streak last Saturday. The Toreros good fortune in doubles came to a halt as the match began. Doubles tandem junior Dana Oppinger and freshman Drew Spinosa dropped the first match of the day - the pair's first loss this season. San Francisco managed to clinch after juniors Shani Blecher and Marta Stojanovic retired at 3-2.

In singles play, it would appear to be an uphill battle for the Toreros. Dons' Milica Hadzi-Tanovic won by retirement as Blecher withdrew due to injury. The Dons' lead was extended to three after Thyra Taune knocked off Oppinger 6-0, 6-2. San Francisco's Andrea Ka, who is ranked No. 76 in the nation, secured the victory for the Dons taking down Stojanovic in a two-set decision.

On Sunday, the Toreros traveled to neighbor Santa Clara. Newly-partnered junior Shani Blecher and sophomore Janine Koleta cruised past Santa Clara's Zeina El Tawil and Riley Morgan 6-1 in doubles play. While doubles competition has been the Toreros' strong suit thus far, minor injuries on the squad gave the Broncos an advantage the remainder of the match. The Broncos' answered with a 6-2 victory at the No. 1 spot and later clinched after Chelby Cooke and Delphine Rouvillois edged juniors Marta Stojanovic and Mikayla Morkel-Brink 6-4.

After the Broncos extended their lead with a victory at the No. 4 spot, Oppinger dropped a two-set decision to Santa Clara's Nabila Farah 6-1, 6-1. Leading 3-0, the Broncos clinched as Spinosa competed in a hard-fought battle, narrowly falling to Daniella Silva 6-4, 6-4.

SCOUTING THE WAVES: The No. 14 Pepperdine Waves are coming off a 7-0 sweep against the Gonzaga Bulldogs to open conference play. The Waves clearly used their momentum from their big, 4-3 victory over No. 19 Arizona State a few days before. Head coach Per Nilsson, who is in his first season, features a squad that includes No. 15 Lorraine Guillermo and No. 73 Matea Cutura/Christine Maddox. Other notable victories from the Waves include No. 17 TCU and No. 25 Texas. Last season, the Waves ended their run in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, but claimed the West Coast Conference Championship title.

MEET THE ASSISTANT COACH: The University of San Diego women's tennis team has announced the addition of Nadia Abdala as an assistant coach for the 2014-15 season. Abdala joins the Torero family after competing on the WTA professional tour and coaching junior players in the La Jolla school system. "I am looking forward to being part of a team again," Abdala expressed. "I am grateful that I will be able to work with someone as experienced as Sherri. As a former professional and collegiate tennis player, I believe that I can bring my personal expertise to help the team succeed in our upcoming season."

"Nadia brings the experience of playing college tennis at a high level along with her passion for the game to our program," Head coach Sherri Stephens said. "I am excited to have her energy and enthusiasm to motivate us all." Abdala was a standout player while at Arizona State University (2006-2010). She was apart of a top 25 PAC-10 program, yet also found great success nationally in both doubles and singles. Abdala received a career-high ranking of No. 11 doubles (2008), while being tabbed at No. 19 in singles (2008).

After her collegiate vocation, Abdala transitioned to the WTA professional tour. Achieving a ranking as high as No. 517 in the world in singles, Abdala competed in the international Federation Cup tournament representing Mexico. "I want to keep the team healthy and fit in order to put ourselves in the best winning situation possible," Abdala noted. "My goals are to not only have a great team dynamic, but to get back into the top 50 rankings and qualify for the NCAA tournament."

Abdala is a 2010 graduate of Arizona State University and is from Mexico City, Mexico. She received her Bachelor's degree in Communications while at Arizona State.