Cal Poly Women’s Tennis will officially be making its return to the Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego to defend their 2024 Big West Conference Championship.
Last season, the underdog No. 5-seeded Mustangs tore through the tournament, upsetting No. 1 UC Santa Barbara en route to their first Big West title since 2003.
Cal Poly returned this year with the same confidence and fire on the court, rolling into the tournament with a record of 18-4, Big West 7-2, but they still embody that underdog mentality with everything they have accomplished.
“We’re gritty, we play hard for each other, and our culture is so strong up and down this lineup,” Head Coach Ellie Edles Williams said. “The more we can lean into that and keep embracing that, the better we play.”
The new Big West Tournament format grants the No. 1-2 seeds an advantage from the start.
UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly receive a double-bye, granting them an automatic semifinal appearance on Saturday, April 26.
The remaining 3-10 seeds will start match play on Thursday and will have to win four straight matches in four days to be crowned champion.
A look into the lineup
Cal Poly’s strength this year comes from up and down the lineup.
Starting at the top is junior Kennedy Buntrock. Playing at line No. 1, she is the main reason why the Mustangs’ singles attack is so strong.
The Las Vegas, Nev. native took a leap of growth this season. Buntrock has shot up the lineup from playing No. 4 last year to the top spot here in 2025.
She’s gone 9-9 in singles play this season against some of the nation’s top competition. Buntrock also makes up half of the Mustangs’ No.1 doubles line with senior Romane Mosse, with a 12-4 record.
Next in line at No. 2 singles is senior Peyton Dunkle, who cemented herself in program history.
Dunkle has put together a masterclass 15-2 record this year in singles and recently notched 52 wins in her career, something that has never been done in Cal Poly history.
“I’m excited to see everything we’ve worked on all season come together in a moment like this,” Dunkle said. “I think we are great at being underdogs, and I can’t wait to see how strong we will be in this tournament.”
She lines up in doubles play with redshirt sophomore Amy Leather, splitting time between lines No. 1-2, racking up a 9-5 record.
Rounding out the top three lines is Romane Mosse.
Mosse transferred from Jacksonville State last season and has made an immediate and efficient impact in her Cal Poly career.
The French phenom has accumulated a 31-12 record in her two seasons here, playing primarily lines No. 3. Her energy brings a spark to this Mustang team.
Depth is essential and has been the ‘X-Factor’ this year. The Mustangs’ lines No. 4-6 have won an outstanding 85% of their matches.
At line No. 4, junior Sasha Ozerets is the main attraction. She commands an 11-3 record when playing that line.
Her overall record on the year is 15-5 and has been an integral part of the Mustangs’ late match heroics. She has clinched five deciding matches this year for Cal Poly.
“This is the last time we’ll have this exact team, so I can’t wait to fight and compete for them,” Ozerets said.
Freshman Jessica MacCallum is a large part of the successful trio; she has won 16 of her last 17 matches and is 17-3 this season, slotting in at line No. 5.
MacCallum is one of the favorites to finish the season as Big West Freshman of the Year.
Rounding out the trio would be at line No. 6, with sophomore Natalie Lynch. The Corona, Calif. native is 15-4 this year in singles play.
Lynch brings a stone-cold presence to the back lines, intimidating her opponents, showing little to no emotion despite the present state of the match.
Cal Poly will look to repeat as Big West champions starting Saturday, April 26, at 1 p.m.
