The Cal State Northridge women’s tennis team had four of its members named to the Big West All-Conference Team on April 29. Victoria Brymer and Kanykey Koichumanova were named to the Second Team in singles play, while the pairs of Kanykey Koichumanova/Brooke Doane and Victoria Brymer/Canna Furuta were named to the Second Team in doubles play.
“To have two doubles teams and two singles players represented on the All-Big West Team is a great accomplishment,” said head coach Gary Victor. “I think the honors speak to the depth of our team and our strength in doubles play.”
The Matadors played their last match of the season on April 26, losing to UC Irvine in the semifinals of the Big West Tournament at Indian Wells. The loss gave Northridge a final season record of 14-8 overall and 7-3 in Big West matches.
In doubles action, Brymer and fellow junior Sandra Kukla lost their match in the No. 2 spot to Calre Fermin and Rebecca Kwan. Furuta, a senior, and her partner sophomore Kristy Fournell were also defeated 8-4 in the No. 3 position, giving Irvine the doubles point and leaving Koichumanova and Doane’s match unfinished.
The Anteaters also took the first three singles matches which included Brymer’s 6-1, 6-1 loss to Becky Bernhard, Nina Jaworowski’s 6-2, 6-3 defeat to Jessica Broadfoot, and Doane’s 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 loss to Rebecca Kwan. Those three matches gave Irvine the win and advanced the Anteaters to the finals.
“The score didn’t really say it all,” Victor said, explaining that there were still three matches in progress, all three-setters that left the Matadors in a position to win the match when Irvine was awarded the win.
“Brooke played an amazing match,” Victor said. “Everybody fought as hard as they could and that’s all you can ask for as a coach.”
Northridge had advanced to the semifinals by beating UC Davis in the quarterfinals on April 25.
The Matadors won the doubles point by winning the first two matches. Partners Koichumanova and Doane defeated Randi Schuler and Herzyl Legaspi in the No. 1 spot, 8-3, followed by an 8-5 win by Furuta and Jaworowski over Emma Shapiro and Robin Guier in the No. 3 position.
In singles play, Doane won her match in the No. 5 spot, beating Shapiro 6-0, 6-0. Koichumanova, playing in the second position, won her match against Stone 6-2, 7-5. Jaworowski won her match against Kaitlan Callan, 6-4, 3-6 and 6-0. Furuta lost her match to Guier 7-5, 6-4 and Brymer lost her No. 1 match against Schuler 6-3, 7-6.
“I was very proud of them for fighting through the quarterfinals with Davis,” Victor said. “It was a very long and hard-fought match that we were able to pull out.”
Victor said that watching Jaworowski come back to win the deciding match was a highlight.
“It was one of my favorite moments from the past several years,” Victor said. “She worked very hard all year to put herself in that position and to see a kid have that moment, to be able to come back, was great.”
The end of the season also marks the last matches Koichumanova and Furuta played for CSUN.
Koichumanova ended the season with a singles record of 11-9 overall and 4-4 in Big West matches. Teamed with Doane in doubles play, the pair concluded the season with a 17-2 record.
“Kanykey and Canna have been two of the greatest people we’ve had in my 11 years here,” Victor said. “They’ve been hard-working, high-achievers on the court.”
Victor said that both players have multiple all-conference awards, in addition to academic awards.
“They’ve been loyal, they’ve been like family,” Victor said. “It’s very hard to see them go, but we have a lot of great memories to look back on.”
