University of San Diego Magazine: Aiming for Excellence

Claudia De Las Heras Making Her Mark with USD Women’s Tennis

Roughly 6,000 miles separates Barcelona, Spain, from San Diego, California. Along with the physical distance, the two can also seem miles apart culturally, even when it comes to a sport like tennis. 

When Barcelona native Claudia De Las Heras was contemplating where to play tennis collegiately, she had help from a close friend — one who also happened to be a Torero. Enter USD alumna Gemma Garcia ’20 (BA), also a native of Barcelona. 

During her tennis career, Garcia suggested that De Las Heras was someone for then-USD assistant coach and lead recruiter Nadia Abdala to follow.

“Claudia and Gemma played in the same club program in Barcelona,” said Abdala, the current head coach for USD women’s tennis. “They didn’t have the same coach, but they knew each other and were from the same academy. When Gemma was a sophomore, she told me to watch for Claudia. I looked her up at that time and said, ‘Yes, I’ll put her on my radar.’” 

De Las Heras was just 16 at that time. But her tennis ability quickly blossomed and Abdala followed closely from abroad as De Las Heras won Spain’s 18s nationals title. When it came time to pick a college, De Las Heras chose the Toreros over other schools, even some with top-ranked women’s tennis programs. 

“Gemma played an important role,” De Las Heras said. “She told me USD was the best experience of her life so that was a green light. During the whole process of talking with the coaches, I had an instant connection with Nadia. Speaking the language was also important when going so far away. Even though I couldn’t visit campuses due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, I saw pictures and it was such a beautiful campus. I knew San Diego wasn’t some place in the middle of nowhere.” 

“Claudia had a ton of offers, but when I called her, she was already biased toward us because someone she knew had a very good experience here,” Abdala said. “She said she came to USD because she wanted to be part of a change to make the program great. Many teams recruiting her were in the top 10. Claudia was looking for a school where she could take a big role in turning it into a top-10 program. That’s exactly what she’s helping us do.” 

In February, the USD women’s tennis program earned its highest-ever national ranking — 12th by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Securing its highest ranking since 1989 (16th), came as a result of a tough pre-West Coast Conference schedule with wins over No. 2 Texas A&M and perennial power USC. Performances from a Torero roster with seniors Elizabeth Goldsmith, Jordyn McBride and Abigail Desiatnikov, Germany sophomore Mia Mack and De Las Heras, a junior, have been key. 

“I feel I’ve improved so much, it has been a great experience. I can’t imagine doing this with anyone else,” De Las Heras said. “I came here motivated.  I liked USD because I wanted to make a difference.” 

Following a 22-win freshman season in singles at the No. 4 or 5 position in the lineup and 16 wins last year at No. 2, Abdala put De Las Heras, the 2024 Preseason All-WCC selection, at No. 1 singles this year. She’s facing the best competition and receiving the most growth potential possible. 

“It is exciting to play against a lot of very good players who help me improve. And being a No. 1 player means you have a leadership role and can set an example,” she said. 

One sure example came when USD faced nationally ranked Florida on the road and a few days later hosted USC. In both instances, De Las Heras’ match was the deciding point to determine a team winner. 

Against Florida, she won a first-set tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-0) against the Gators’ No. 1 Carly Briggs, but, after leading 5-3, lost a hard-fought 7-6 (7-5) second set. A crushing 6-1 win by Briggs in the deciding set gave Florida a 4-3 victory. The USC match showed that De Las Heras could bounce back. De Las Heras defeated Snow Han 6-4 in the opener, but Han’s 6-4 win set up the match-deciding set. This time, De Las Heras prevailed, 7-5. 

“When you’re in that position, you want to win and give your best. Against Florida, I couldn’t close it out. I felt disappointed. Against USC, I thought this was my chance and I overcame it. It was a really good moment.”

A teachable moment. 

“You got to see who she is as a person,” Abdala said. “The match at Florida came down to her. Unfortunately, she lost. It was a heartbreaker and you could tell she was hurting a lot. Then, against USC, it came down to her again, but she embraced it and was confident. Against Florida she was rushing things, not taking her time. You could tell she was feeling the pressure. Against USC, she was coachable, breathing and she went to her towel. You could see a four-day difference that she managed the situation better. She clinched the win for us, beating USC, which is always a big deal. That’s who she is. When she goes down, she’s hurt, but doesn’t go too low. She’s quick to learn. She wants to learn the game, the emotions.”

— Story by Ryan Blystone, photos by Tom Christensen