Let’s stand up and cheer for San Jose State University’s table tennis team!

This NCTTA newcomer deserves a hearty round of applause after their recent debut in the Northern California Division. When it was all over, the San Jose State Spartans demolished the opposition. NCTTA veteran teams like Stanford and California-Berkeley all went down to defeat when facing the talented San Jose State squad.

Located in the Silicon Valley, mid-way between San Francisco and the Monterey-Carmel area of the southern end of the San Francisco Bay, San Jose State was founded as a teachers college in 1857. Today, San Jose State is home to 134 bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. You might say their new table tennis team tooktheir NCTTA opponents to school this fall.

Captain Sally Su and top-notch players like Sean Lee and Truong Tu are at the heart of the San Jose State team and did extremely well in the Northern Cal competition. The San Jose State Spartans never let up. “Keep fighting … no matter what!” is how Su describes the team’s spirit when it comes to table tennis competition.

Su had to keep fighting in one close match when she edged a Cal player three games to two. “Some matches were pretty tough, but we kept fighting,” Sally says.

Part of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), San Jose State’s football team this fall has been pounded pretty good with losses to schools like Alabama, Boise State and New Mexico State. Basketball season that opens against Eastern Washington later in November looks more promising for the Spartans.

But the future really looks bright for table tennis on the 154-acre San Jose campus. The school is the oldest public institution of higher learning in California. San Jose State is one of 13 new NCTTA programs this fall. Other new kids on the block include Stetson University in Florida, Miami of Ohio, UT Dallas, St. Francis University of Pennsylvania, Mercer University in Georgia and Dordt College in Iowa.

But from their strong showing as the No. 1 team in the Northern California Division, it looks like San Jose State table tennis will stay on the collegiate table tennis map for quite a while.

Sally Su says the San Jose State team is looking forward to the continuation of regional competition in February and hopes to stay on top. That would lead to an invitation to the NCTTA Nationals in April 2011. Don’t bet against newcomer San Jose State!

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