The 2024-25 year was historic on The Point, but the best of the bunch was PLNU Women’s Tennis.
Point Loma achieved several program firsts this spring, winning a first PacWest Conference title and picking up its first ever victory in the NCAA West Regional.
That earned the Sea Lions a first ever trip to the NCAA Championships in Altamonte Springs, Florida, where they won their Round of 16 match against Augustana before losing to eventual national champion Barry in the quarterfinals.
“It was an incredibly exciting year for the ladies,” Head Coach Curt Wheeler said. “It’s such a tremendous group of women. They’re obviously good tennis players, but they put a lot of effort into improving every day.”
That national quarter final finish was the best of any Point Loma team this year, during which PLNU set athletic department records with 10 teams competing in the NCAA postseason and winning eight PacWest trophies.
For PLNU Women’s Tennis, its historic season was a long time coming.
The Sea Lions previously made three straight regional appearances but had never won an NCAA postseason match, nor had they advanced to the PacWest Tournament championship.
That all changed this year.
“We have been very close to this sort of success in previous years,” Wheeler said. “They stuck with it and continued to work hard through those things. It was awesome to see those results happen.”
This season included a 12-match winning streak, the second longest in program history, and an NCAA-era program record 20 wins overall.
The team’s success was aided by tremendous team depth, with six players reaching double-digit singles victories on the year.
“Every single one of them had the mindset of, ‘If somehow it comes down to my court, I’m going to win this,’” Wheeler said. “We’re not going to win every individual match, but they have the trust and confidence in their teammates that even if it wasn’t their day, it’s really hard to have multiple players not be their day.
“That helps a lot when you’re competing out there, feeling like you don’t have to play your best tennis every single day. It allows you to free up a little bit and just play, with the trust that we’re the better team up and down the lineup.”
That depth was evident with different players stepping up in the biggest moments of the season.
In the PacWest championship match, the overall score was tied 3-3 before Antonia Barth won the final two sets of her No. 3 singles match to clinch PLNU’s first ever PacWest title.
Then with the Sea Lions trailing 1-3 in the NCAA West Regional, Point Loma claimed each of the final three singles matches, with Quin Brady (No. 4), Alina Kupfer (No. 1) and then Arianna Audelo (No. 2) all winning to send PLNU to the NCAA Championships for the first time.
“It’s such a tremendous group of women. They’re obviously good tennis players, but they put a lot of effort into improving every day.” – Head Coach Curt Wheeler
“In the postseason it comes down to playing your best tennis in those big moments,” Wheeler said. “That experience (from previous years) of being there and being close, helps being able to handle the tension that comes with that. The ladies as a team were able to play great tennis when it mattered the most at the end of the year.”
Just as Point Loma used previous years’ near-misses as motivation, the Sea Lions hope to use this year’s success as additional fuel to the fire moving forward.
“For the ones who are returning, it can be used as even more motivation,” Wheeler said. “We want that privilege of playing with those expectations.
“I told them especially after last year that we’re going to have a target. Every team is going to come out with the mindset of wanting to beat Point Loma, and we’re going to get everybody’s best match. We love the challenge that comes with that. That also means we have to lock in, get better, and have great focus every day.”
