Jo-Yee Chan was named the Mountain West Conference Women’s Tennis Player of the Week last week for the third time this season.

The San Diego State senior has a 19-8 record in singles this season and has teamed with freshman Vessa Turley for a 23-4 record in doubles. Chan is the No. 1 singles player and part of the No. 1 doubles team on an Aztecs contingent that has posted an 18-3 record in match play and finished in a three-way tie for the conference regular season title.

But SDSU coach Nicholas Vinel says Chan “is not the reason” why the Aztecs are seeded first going into this week’s Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas.

“We have eight reasons,” said Vinel. “Our depth in the entire lineup is the strength of our team. We don’t have the difference in talent from the top down through the bottom as most teams have. And that’s a great formula for success in team tennis.”

Which is not meant to minimize Chan’s importance.

“She is our driving force,” said Vinel. “She is the leader and sets the tone. When your No. 1 is out there stressing team over self, it becomes easier for everyone to share in that special bond.”

And share a bond, the Aztecs do.

Chan transferred to San Diego State from Oregon before the start of the 2024-2025 school year because of the “Aztec culture.”

“College tennis is very much a team sport,” said Chan. “When I was in the transfer portal, I appreciated how welcoming everyone was at San Diego State. It started with the coaching staff. It was much different at Oregon. I didn’t really mesh well at Oregon. I wanted something else. And I found it here.”

Ninon Martinache, who is the Aztecs’ No. 2 singles player, came to San Diego State from Georgia Southern at the same time and for much the same reason. In fact, it was the idea of playing as a team sport that originally brought Martinache to the United States from her native France.

“We don’t have anything like this type of team play in Europe,” said Martinache. “When I was first introduced to the idea, it became very attractive to me. When you step on the court as an Aztec, it’s not about yourself.

“This is the perfect spot for me. I always wanted to be involved in a team sport. I’m not alone. I think being on a team interests a lot of international players. Team is probably the most important aspect. It’s not my score, it’s the team’s score.”

Half the SDSU roster hails from Europe — senior Martinache is from France, senior Gloria Alogo is from Spain, junior Vesa Gjinaj hails from Kosovo and sophomore Liisa Varul grew up in Estonia. Six are transfers: Chan (Oregon), Alogo (North Texas), Gjinaj (Belmont), Martinache (Georgia Southern) and juniors Jayna Clemens (Mississippi State) and Teja Tirunelveli (Arizona).

“It’s a very diverse roster,” said Vinel, who is in his first season as the Aztecs’ head coach after 11 seasons as an assistant. “We’re having a great season for my first year.

“This program has improved the last couple of years. Going into the season, we knew we had a chance to be good. We were excited with the mix of returnees and newcomers. Then a strong fall gave us a chance to build chemistry and it took off.”

Because college team tennis matches end as soon as the winning team reaches four points, individual won-loss results don’t add up to the total number of matches. But the three doubles sets at the beginning of each match clearly give the Aztecs an edge.

Chan and Turley are 12-2 in dual meet doubles matches this season and were a perfect 6-0 in Mountain West play. They are currently ranked 57th in the nation and have been ranked as high as 23rd. The No. 2 doubles team of Clemens and Martrinache were 10-2 in dual-meet action and 15-3 overall. The No. 3 doubles of Alogo and Varul were 7-3 in conference and 9-4 overall.

Clemens is 17-5 overall in singles. Gjinaj is 13-5, Tirunelveli is 14-6 and Alogo is 10-6. The Aztecs were 9-2 at No. 3 singles (Alogo and Clemens) this season, 12-1 at No. 4 singles (Clemens, Tirunelveli and Gjinaj) and 9-1 at No. 6.

“We’re mentally tough as a team because, I think, we’ve got so much depth,” said Chan. “We just keep coming at the other team.”

Although Chan is a senior, she is hoping the NCAA will grant her a fifth season. If not, Chan plans to turn pro — possibly with Martinache as her agent. An economics major, Martinache is planning to launch her career this summer.

“Being a sports agent is my dream job, and I’ve already targeted Jo-Yee as my first client,” said Martinache.

Every week, U-T contributor Bill Center highlights one San Diego college team that’s making strides on and off the field. To nominate a team, email wcenter27@gmail.com.