One year ago, women’s tennis were crowned Big West Champions for the 2024 season.
In 2025, the Mustangs are back and ready to defend their Big West championship title after taking down No. 3 seeded Hawai’i in the semifinal match.
The journey to victory was not straightforward, as Cal Poly held a 3-2 lead with two closely contested matches remaining.
Seniors Peyton Dunkle on court No. 2 and Romane Mosse on court No. 3 fought for the final two points, needing to win one of them to take the match over Hawai’i.
Eyes shifted to Mosse, who was in a crucial situation. She took the first set 6-3 and was in a tight 4-4 battle in the second.
She broke her opponent Peppi Ramstedt to go up 5-4 in the second set, serving with a chance to clinch the match.
Mosse started to rally off shots playing with ultimate confidence, all of a sudden it was 40-15 and she was one point away from putting the Mustangs in the Big West Finals.
One point later, the French Phenom prevailed. Her team rushed the court, surrounded Mosse and stamped their name into the next round of the tournament.
The road to victory
One of Coach Ellie Edles Williams’ keys to the match was for the team to open on a strong note.
The Mustangs executed and took the opening doubles point.
Sophomore Natalie Lynch and freshman Jessica MacCallum were the catalysts at line No. 3. They dismantled their opponents in a 6-2 victory, swaying the initial momentum in the Mustangs favor.
On court No. 1, junior Kennedy Buntrock paired up with Mosse and also took a 6-2 victory to clinch the doubles point for Cal Poly.
Moving into singles play, Hawaii immediately evened the action at 1-1.
In her first postseason NCAA appearance, Lynch held down line No. 6 to give the Mustangs the lead again with a 6-2, 6-3 victory.
Lynch continued a stellar season with her victory, extending her record to 16-4 in singles this year.
MacCallum also made her debut in postseason play in the semifinal match. She showed no signs of nerves, rolling through her opponent, 6-3, 6-1.
“We just trust our training, Coach Ellie helps us emulate tough matches inside of practice to have us ready,” MacCallum said. “I have the confidence that I can do this and I can beat whoever is on the other side of the net.”
MacCallum is 18-3 this season and closing in on a potential Big West Freshman of the Year award.
Cal Poly extended the lead to 3-1 for a brief moment before Hawaii came back with their own win at line No. 1.
Dunkle was still battling on court No. 2, down 5-7, 2-4 at the time Mosse clinched the match for the Mustangs.
For Mosse this clinching moment and a tight match is something she lives for.
“It was so tight. Everyone was fighting so hard, and I just wanted to win for the whole team and everyone watching me,” Mosse said. “I didn’t want this to be our team’s last tennis match, we’ve had a great season and we’re excited to keep going.”
With the win, Cal Poly advances to face UC Santa Barbara in the Big West Championship Finals.
The Mustangs have now reached the Big West finals for five straight seasons.
