Cal State Fullerton Titans tennis

Titans school fight song

University school name change

Conference school rivals

The early Titan years (late 1960s)

Dr. Jean A. Barrett,(Emeritus) started at Orange State College (known now as Cal State Fullerton) in 1963 she was a Professor of Health, Physical Education and Recreation at Fullerton getting her degree's a B.S. from Cortland State Teachers College and an Ed.M. and Ed.D. from the University of Buffalo. In the school year 1966–67 she was the Titans Women's Director of Intercollegiate Activities and started a Women's Tennis Program at Cal State Fullerton and they were known as the Titanettes Tennis Team they had nine matches that season and was off to a good start according to their leader Barrett. One of the first Women Tennis letterwinners from that starting season in 1967 to play for Barrett was former La Habra Highlander High School tennis player Cindy L. Gohring a senior class student-athlete at Cal State Fullerton that school year. For the 2016–17 season for the current Titan Women's Team it will be the 50th anniversary since the Tennis Program for Women was started at Cal State Fullerton.

Coach Virginia Scheel,(Emeritus) years (1968–1973)

The Titans women's varsity tennis team first started competing in the 1967–68 academic school year the year Coach Scheel's first came to CSUF and finished eight in their conference. Scheel had a Titan tennis team/program financial budget when she started of $100.00 dollars for the season. Scheel was a professor of Kinesiology and Health Promotion at Fullerton and was a grad from La Verne College now known as (University of La Verne) she was also after her tennis coaching career at Fullerton was the president of Western Society of Physical Education of College Women for academic year 1984–85 this society was founded in 1921 and deals with issues and concerns related to disciplines in higher education and human movement the group of women represents colleges from the western territory of Canada to Hawaii to Utah and down to Arizona she was a well rounded collegiate coach. The 1970 Titan squad had a record finish of first in the conference in only their third year of competing in collegiate women's tennis. In 1972, Coach Virginia Scheel's Titans had an undefeated women's tennis season, according to the coach. In the 1973 CSUF women's season, Scheel's team, led by number 1 singles player a former transfer student-athlete from Fullerton Junior College Hornets Sue Marta, had a victory, defeating the USC Trojans in that year also the Titans women's tennis program also moved up in league class to the "A" bracket. Marta also had a career high impressive victory over Cal State L.A. Golden Eagle Tina Watanabe their Number 1 player on the team and a 1973 NCAA National Collegiate Singles Tournament finalists that was held in Auburn, Alabama Watanabe had victories on the Women's Pro Circuit over Tracy Austin, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles and had a World Singles Ranking of 79th at one point in her professional career.

Coach Jean Davenport years (1973–1976)

Coach Jean Davenport's, a Virginia State University grad with a "MS" from Michigan State the Titan Health Ed. Instructor coached the 1975 Titans Team which was led by a Junior Fullerton's number #1 player Kathy Wright a former Stanford University player during her freshman year there. Davenport's said her team's greatest assets are persistence and strict conditioning. The team also achieved academic excellents in the classroom with an overall GPA of 3.3 and Davenport said this Titan team has a record wide age range on the team with student tennis athletes 18 to 36.

Coach Jan Billings years (1976–1982)

In a historic time for Division I Women's Athletics Ellen Linderman '81 who played on the 1977, 1978 and 1979 Titan squad's was one of the first women to receive an Athletic Scholarship because of Title IX from the Athletic Department by Coach Jan Billings at that time in the program at the University. The 1980 Titans squad was led by a number 1 freshman player named Pia Tamayo who was also a member of the Philippines Federation Cup Team and went three sets, losing (6–2, 2–6, 0–6) to tennis professional Hana Mandlíková from the Czechoslovakia Fed Cup Team; the match took place in Santa Clara, California. Tamayo played one successful year for the Titans and went on to finish her collegiate career at Princeton University and was a 3-time All-Ivy League Tennis Selection for the Tigers. Carol Pat Christian who played her 1980 freshman year/season as the number #2 singles player behind Tamayo on the Titan team, she played at Pacific High School in San Bernardino, Ca. during her junior's years and as a junior player she played Tracy Austin and lost 0–6, 2–6 in the finals of The 31st Annual Fullerton Junior Tennis Tournament. Christian won the Singles and Doubles Titles at The National Indoor Girls' Tennis Championships at Mt. Clemens, Michigan and she was also ranked #1 in singles in Southern California Sectionals in the girls' 14-and-under class as a junior player. Christian also during the 1980 Titan season beat Cal Berkeley's top singles player as her highlight victory of that season. She had an 8–2 record in the league in singles and had a 1–1 record against UCLA's Becky Bell the #2 singles player for the Bruins, the league again as in the past was the toughest in the nation with conference members like UCLA, USC, Arizona State, Arizona, Long Beach State and San Diego State these school's were in top ten rankings in many season's year in year out in Division I Women's Tennis nationally. As a sophomore Christian played her last season in 1981 as a Titan as the number #1 singles player on the team and played with her Pacific High School teammate Sherrie Shellhammer on that Titan team for Coach Jan Billings.

Coaching record (1 Year/Season, 5 Wins-23 Losses)

The 1983 Titans women's team was led by first year Coach Bill Cole '87 MS who played collegiately from 1975–1977 at the University of Buffalo in a conference so tough that four of which members were ranked in the top five nationally overall which included teams like UCLA, USC, Stanford and San Diego State. Under Cole's direction that year he said he established various goals for his team and was highlighting personal improvements of the Titans players because the team's competition was far greater that year in the conference than other conferences and the season was a success for the players in those terms with the goals they laid out for the year.

Coaching record (2 Years/Seasons, 17 Wins-44 Losses)

The 1985 team was coached by Bill Etchegaray and led by number 1 singles player Kristi Blankenship '86 who had a (30–10) senior season won-loss record, was selected at the end of that year by the NCAA Regional Committee to participate in the NCAA Division I Women's Singles Tennis Championship Tournament held at Oklahoma State University in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Blankenship represented the Titans very well was defeated in the tournament by University of Miami Hurricanes talented player Lise Gregory by a score of (5–7, 4–6). A year later in 1986 Blankenship '86 won The Ojai Women's Open Invitational Singles Championship/The Foothill Cup defeating Kathy May-Paben who formerly had a professional tennis ranking of number 10 in 1977. Blankenship '86 joins other past notable champions Maureen Connolly in 1951, Billie Jean King in 1965 and 1966, Tracy Austin in 1977, USC's Stacy Margolin in 1976 and 1988, USC's Cecilia Fernandez 1982 and 1983, Stanford's Patty Fendick in 1985 who have won the prestigious Ojai tournament.

Coaching record (4 Years/Seasons, 37 Wins-59 Losses)

In 1986, the Titans women's tennis program was almost discontinued by the Athletic Department due to budget cuts but was saved by then Athletic Director Ed Carroll and Titans Women's Tennis Coach Brad Allen who had a (37–59) career record, who were able to keep and move the tennis program forward. Since the 1988 season Allen's Titans squad has held the record for most victories in a season of 15 that year highlighted with wins over San Jose State, Loyola Marymount, Nebraska, Cornell and Long Beach State.

Prior to joining the Titans Women's Tennis Program and Coach Brad Allen's squad for the 1988 season player Nicole Brechtbuhl '90 won the 1986 California Junior College State Doubles Individual title her freshmen year and in 1987 Brechtbuhl '90 won the California Junior College State Singles Individual title in her sophomore year.

Coaching record (24 Years/Seasons, 178 Wins-391 Losses)

In 1992 Titans Roseann Alva '94 with her performance came out of nowhere to get into the finals in the number #1 flight singles championship round of The Big West Conference Women's Collegiate Tennis Championship Tournament only to lose to her competitor from UC Santa Barbara (2–6, 2–6) in the final, coincidentally in the 1992 season the Titans women's tennis team never won a match all season. The year before in 1991 Alva '94 and Titan teammate Kelli Moore '91 made Big West First Team Doubles All-Conference as a result from the successful season performance for the doubles pair.

The women's team has enjoyed much success over the years as a member in the Big West Conference since the 1988–89 season under Reynolds tenure with standout individual performances in singles and doubles by players:

Titans Former women's tennis Coach Bill Reynolds has had the longest coaching tenure at Fullerton, coaching the team from 1989 to 2013, with a total of 178 career match victories. His most successful season according to wins was the 1991 season where the Titans had 15 victories that season the most for a season in his Titan career and his team that year was led by Roseann Alva '94 and Kelli Moore '91 with highlight victories over Oregon, Colorado, Washington, Boise State, Long Beach State and Fresno State. In 2013 Reynolds was named "Big West Conference Co-Tennis Coach of the Year". Reynolds '72 played collegiately and graduated from UC Santa Barbara where his father was the former head tennis coach there.

Current coaching record (3rd Year, 35 Wins-33 Losses)

Midway through the 2016 season the third-year Titans Coach Dianne Matias the former USC Trojans (2004–2007) collegiate tennis player has led the Titans Team as of March 8, 2016 as the new rankings came out as mentioned midway through the season to a No. 67 national ranking by Oracle/ITA Division I Women's Collegiate Tennis Rankings. Currently rated No. 1 is Cal Berkeley and from the west is Pepperdine at No. 17, Stanford at No. 23, UCLA at No. 25, USC at No. 43. The Titans squad's led by Co-captains Alexis Valenzuela and Camille De Leon current team record on the season is 10 wins – 1 loss as to the reasoning for their deserving current national ranking. For Division I for the Titans Women's Tennis program this is a historical feat this has not been done before as a Division I program. Back in the late seventies and early eighties the Titans had some good teams and good individual players but they always played in the toughest conference in the nation for Women's Tennis so they always had a brutal schedule each season playing the top teams.

On Saturday April 2, 2016 the current Titan Women's squad surpass the single season historical record for wins in a season of 15 from Coach Brad Allen's 1988 team with a victory over UC Irvine 6–1 to give them their 16th victory on the year so far and a current record of 16–3. The victory against UC Irvine snapped a losing streak against the Anteaters which dated back to 1998.

On Tuesday April 12, 2016 the new Oracle/ITA Collegiate Division I National Women's Tennis Doubles Rankings came out and the Titans doubles team of Alexis Valenzuela & Camille De Leon were given a ranking of 45th in the nation quite an accomplishment for the Titan tennis duo who are 13–1 on the season currently. The last time historically a Titan women's tennis player was in the national spotlight was back in 1985 when Kristi Blankenship '86 competed/qualified in The NCAA Division I Collegiate National Women's Tennis Singles Championship Tournament in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

May 4, 2016 following a record-setting season for the Titan Tennis team third-year Coach Dianne Matias was voted Big West Conference Women's Tennis Coach of the Year. Matias led the team to a (17–6) record on the season and the most Big West Conference victories (6–2) in a season and a 3rd-place finish in the conference with a winning percentage of (.739) and also a ranking of No. 67 in the nation by Oracle/ITA Collegiate Tennis Women's Rankings. This is the second Conference Coach of the Year award won by a Titan coach the first was won by Coach Bill Reynolds in 2013 for their season then.

On Thursday June 2, 2016 the final Oracle/ITA Collegiate Division I National Women's Tennis Doubles Rankings came out for 2015–16 season year end rankings and the Titan doubles team of Alexis Valenzuela & Camille De Leon were given a ranking of 56th in the nation for the season.

Coach Dr. Ernest Becker years (1960–1962)

The Cal State Fullerton Titans Tennis team was started first with a men's varsity team in 1960 started by Dr. Ernest Becker who was the founding Dean of Students at Orange County State College which is now known today as California State University, Fullerton and also was a philosophy professor joined the school in 1959 and also became the first Director of Athletics. He was the first men's tennis coach for the team and also was practicing with the team the sport Dr. Becker enjoyed. He was a true pioneer in getting this men's tennis program started at Fullerton. He had Mitchel Saadi '64 as the Team Captain in the early year of the program and also Becker had tennis professional Stan Smith's brother Ken Smith Jr. on the Titan team. Mike Bouck a Anaheim High School grad was his No. 1 Flight Singles player on the 1962–63 Titan team and also the following season/year on the team. Bouck in 1957 competing for Fullerton Junior College teamed with Mr. Nelson in The Ojai Valley Men's Junior College Doubles Tennis Championships Division and were finalists in The Frank T. Heffelfinger Challenge Cup there at Ojai losing to Gilbert Rodriguez and partner Eduardo Guzman of Modesto Junior College both of them were finalists in the Singles Championship play.Becker in his younger days was a practice player hitting balls and getting tips on the game with legendary tennis professional Bill Tilden. Coach Becker passed away on January 5, 1998.

The next men's tennis coach at Orange State College taking over for Coach Tom Ashley in 1963 was Coach Neale R. Stoner the future Cal State Fullerton Titans Director of Athletics from (1972–1979) for a season and a half coaching the tennis team in Fullerton, Ca. On that 1963 team the Titans had a female student-athlete on the squad because there was no Titans women's team until the 1966-67 school year by the name of Rosalie Passovoy '63 who beat the number 6 player on the team and earn a spot and a letter on the team, her doubles partner on the team was Ben Wade '63. Former UCLA Bruins 1959 tennis letterman transfer Mike Bouck as mentioned was the number 1 player on the 1962-63 Titans team had very good results with Orange State played two years with the team but prior to that as a Bruin in that 1959 season his team won the PAC-8 Conference and had a 15-1 team record that was coached by collegiate tennis legendary Coach J.D. Morgan (161-18 collegiate record from 1951-1966) who Bouck played with four All-Americans on the team that included 1959 PAC-8 Singles Champion Allen Fox, Roger Werksman, Dale Rohland and Norman Perry a very strong UCLA Bruins team that year.

Coach Dr. Michael Yessis,(Emeritus) years (1966–1969)

In 1967 first year Titans Head Men's Tennis Coach Dr. Michael Yessis a College of New York grad and a professor of Physical Education at Fullerton said "We have a small squad and we have a very rough schedule – rougher than the previous year" in that year. Yessis also commented on the existing Titan Tennis Courts saying "The courts are slow, which handicaps an attempt to play a fast attacking game". "New construction at the courts may remedy this situation" says Yessis the athletic department has plans to supplement the tennis facilities at that time with four new tennis courts hopefully by the 1968 season according to Yessis. Titan tennis player's Steve White '68 a Antelope Valley Junior College transfer and Jose Nino '68 a "Two-Time Titan Team MVP" played in the 1967 NCAA Men's Division II Tennis Championships at Cal State University, Los Angeles and the NCAA Men's Tennis Team Championship was won by conference member Long Beach State University. From 1967 to 1973 the NCAA Men's Division II Tennis Team Championship Title went to a CCAA Conference member each year and that is why in the 1969 season again Titans Tennis Coach Dr. Michael Yessis said "We are in the toughest league in the State" second only to the Pac 8 Division I Men's Tennis Conference, really in the nation during that time period.

Coach Bob Osborn years (1970–1971)

The 1971 CSUF Men's team led by Bruce Westforth a transfer student athlete from Fullerton Junior College recorded the most wins in a season from when the program started in the early sixties to then with a record that season of (15 wins-12 losses) but had a losing record in there conference(1971 Conference Tennis Champion San Fernando Valley State College which is now known as Cal State Northridge Matadors) said Titans Coach Bob Osborn "You have to credit a strong conference and some good players" Osborn went on to say "We had a team with a good attitude and good efforts in every match". Osborn coached the Titan Men's team that one school year, he was also an assistant men's basketball coach under head coach Alex Omalev and was a graduate of Whittier College in 1958 where Osborn was "All-S.C.I.A.C. Honors" in basketball.

Coach Craig Neslage years (1971–1974)

The 1973 Titans team led by Coach Craig Neslage had quite a fiery tennis player named Oscar Meyer a Cal Poly Pomona Bronco transfer who played at the #1 position on the team for two years who was a former member of the Mexico's Davis Cup Team. Neslage who coached the Titans from 1971–1974 for three season's and one of his issues he tangled with was the fan area loyalty to the tennis program during those years he said "Fullerton area has no loyalty the problem is obvious he diagnose and confirmed the disease that has spread throughout at Fullerton" during his time period. Neslage was a outstanding fundraiser for the Titans Mens Tennis Program by the time he moved on after the 1974 season in his career he left the Program with a budget better than when he started with the Program, the next coach was in a better situation financially for the Program in 1975. Neslage was an All-American collegiate tennis player at UC Irvine during his playing days. After serving for his country in the Vietnam War the honorable veteran Paul McWherter came to play for the 1973–74 Titans after competing successfully for Bellevue Junior College in the State of Washington where he was the 1972–73 Junior College Singles & Doubles Champion there in the State a good find for Coach Craig Neslage and while playing one year at CSUF he played number #2 and #3 Singles for the Titans while playing with ambidextrous strokes and serving righthanded. One of Neslage's players Mark Hamilton '75 a few years after graduating from Fullerton went on to be the men's tennis coach for the Texas Tech Red Raiders for seasons 1979 and 1980 and had a coaching record of 24 wins-29 losses during his two-year career there and also is recorded as being the 2nd men's coach in their history of there tennis program.

(Assistant Coaches: Jonathan Walters '76, 1975–76 Season & John Nordstrom '78, 1976–1978 Seasons)

In the 1974–75 academic year when the Titans Men's Tennis program became a member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association(PCAA) they moved up to the Division I large school level and also they added a new tennis coach named Ron Witchey a Dennison University grad taking over the last part of the 1975 season taking over for short term Titan Coach Steve Warfield who himself as a collegiate tennis player was a 1970 Division III All-American from the University of Redlands during his playing days. Witchey was a former Titan Track coach from 1965 to 1972 and cross country coach. Witchey quickly became a better organizer and manager of the tennis team according to their Titan team captain Gary Quandt '75 that season. Witchey installing the team to work on mental toughness, physical conditioning, and developing a positive attitude when he arrived to take over the team that season. The 1976 and 1977 season's the Titans men's team added many new and formidable player's like their No. 1 singles player Bob Goldstein, Mt. SAC Junior College transfer twin brothers Mike Duran and Gil Duran '79 a two-fisted forehand/backhand player, Kelly Davidson '77, Gregg Henderson, Phil Beilin and Pete Fischer '79 who all had very good results during those two years in the PCAA Conference in there singles or doubles flights in the conference tournament against highly regarded opponents, the team finished third in 1976 and second in 1977 respectively in conference play. In a highlight result in the 1976 season brother's Mike Duran and Gil Duran '79 were finalists in The Ojai Men's Independent College Doubles Championship/The Joseph O. Bixler Trophy only to be defeated by Jeff Williams-Bob Wright of UC Irvine. The 1979 Titans were led by a conference tournament performance by Dave Barrows '81 who was a finalists in the number 4 flight singles that year losing to a player from a good UC Irvine team, San Jose State Spartans won the PCAA conference team competition coming in second was UC Irvine Anteaters and CSUF finished fifth in the conference that year.

(Assistant Coach: Dave Barrows '81, 1980–81 Season)

In the early eighties under Coach Jan Billings the backbone of the Titans team was players Frank Ellis '83 and Michael Moore '84 who competed through the ups and downs of the men's tennis program. Billings who coached both the men's and women's Titan squad's from 1979 through 1982 3 years total during that time period and coached the women's team a total of 6 years. Billings had help with the 1980–81 Men's team with former Titans player Dave Barrows '81 was the assistant coach for the season.

Coach Ed Burt years (1982–1984)

Then came in toward the early mid-eighties was Coach Ed Burt who brought in a lot of talented good recruits and the tennis program was on the rise again with the additions of English junior college player by way of Florida Julian Lowin '85, Donny Young, South African player Craig McSmythe (1983 Ojai CIF H.S. Interscholastic Doubles Champion/The Wightman Cup/(Indio H.S.), William Schuster '85, Tim Macres, David Pratt and Everette Brunelle (1983 Ojai CIF H.S. Interscholastic Doubles Champion/The Wightman Cup/(Indio H.S.) the Titans added depth to their line up with these highly competitive players. These Titans teams were competing with collegiate tennis powerhouse's on their schedule like highly nationally ranked USC Trojans and also highly nationally ranked Pepperdine Waves along with San Diego State Aztecs, Boston University Terriers, South Carolina Gamecocks, Princeton Tigers, Nebraska Cornhuskers, University of New Mexico Lobos, University of San Diego Toreros and PCAA Conference highly national ranked foes UC Irvine Anteaters and Long Beach State 49ers at the time, even Division III number one nationally ranked opponent University of Redlands Bulldogs was really good during that time period on the Titans schedule. During Burt's short tenure the Titans had many victories against very good competitive school's likely due to their recruits and their depth in the line up of the Titan team.

Coach Mike Muscare years (1985–1987)

The 1986 team was led by Fausto Bucheli '87 and had a new coach named Mike Muscare who last coached the season before for the CSUSB Coyotes but the season for the Titans had again a competitive Division I collegiate schedule with many tough opponents in their PCAA Conference. The 1987 team had better success of the 2 years coached by Muscare in which the Titan team had 15 victories on the season. Sanjeev Khanna '91 is the last known varsity intercollegiate Titan men's tennis player that played in the last season for the men's tennis program in 1987 for the CSUF varsity tennis team that competed in the PCAA Conference to have graduated from California State University, Fullerton.