The 2008 Big West tennis season is underway with a handful of teams appearing in action last week.  More teams are set to unwrap the rackets and hit the courts this week.

The UC Davis men, off to a 3-0 start, travel to Saint Mary's on Sunday in hopes of maintaining their undefeated start as a first-year Big West member.  Cal Poly (1-1) and Pacific take their best shot against No. 17 Pepperdine in a doubleheader at Malibu on Saturday.  The Mustangs host UC Santa Cruz while the Tigers visit Loyola Marymount on Sunday.  UC Riverside opens its season at No. 50 San Diego State on Saturday.  UC Irvine, which had its opener at Pepperdine rained out Thursday, hopes for clear skies at No. 6 USC on Monday.  UC Santa Barbara's home opener is on Sunday against Santa Clara.
   
Women's action features a series of road matches this week.  The lone home match is a doozy, as Long Beach State hosts California, which finished No. 5 in the final 2007 ITA national rankings.  Pacific travels to Las Vegas for three straight contests against host UNLV, Weber State and New Mexico State.  Cal Poly, already the most active Big West team with four matches played, heads north to face Utah and Oregon in Eugene.  UC Davis journeys to the Bay Area to face Stanford and Santa Clara, while UC Irvine stays local to battle USC.  UC Riverside and Cal State Fullerton both square off against San Diego State on Saturday.

Long Beach State Tennis Receives $1.25 Million Gift

Former student, graduate and tennis player Terry Rhodes pledged $1.25 million to construct a new campus facility and establish an endowed scholarship fund for tennis players in honor of the Long Beach State women's tennis program on Jan. 16.  Of the gift, $250,000 will be utilized toward the new on-campus facility, which breaks ground this month.  The $1 million will be allocated toward the endowment.