CHENEY, Wash. — The task was tall for Eastern Washington women's tennis, but they did not back down from the challenge. Eastern lost 5-2 to Sacramento State, the two-time defending Big Sky champions, today at the Jim Thorpe Fieldhouse. EWU's conference record falls to 2-1 and they are 8-5 overall, while the Hornets improve to 4-0 in the Big Sky and 12-4 overall.
"A really hard fight today, with a lot of close battles. It had the same feel as our first two conference matches. I was really encouraged by the fact that you know we played the team that's sitting on top of the conference right now in Sacramento State. We were right there with them," head coach Dustin Hinson said. "There really isn't a difference in the level, which I'm encouraged by for the team. We had close, three-set battles that just didn't fall our way. It is frustrating and disappointing that we didn't get the win, but I'm encouraged by the fact that there's no one in the conference that we can't compete against."
Sac. St. opened strong in doubles, winning all three matches. Leandra Nizetic and Maria Lopez pushed Reese Walker and Cami Maldonado at No. 3, but missed the win, 7-5.
The Hornets doubled their lead with a win at No. 2 singles, but Zoe Pradel put the Eagles on the board with a two-set win at No. 3 over Irene Riva.
Nizetic was in a battle at No. 1 and went to three sets against Walker again. Despite the effort, Nizetic fell in the third set, 6-3.
Sac. St. clinched the match after winning No. 4 singles and going up 4-1 over Eastern.
Olivia Marais continued her strong sophomore season, defeating Palina Saulevich at the No. 5 singles, prevailing 10-7 in the third-set tiebreaker.
"I'm excited for the two singles wins that we earned today. Zoe Pradel and Olivia Marais both came out on top and played really well in the tight, tough moments and pressure situations. I'm proud of that," Hinson added. "I'm proud of everybody for battling hard even in those tough losses that we had. Everybody fought and gave their best energy on the court."
Results
Singles
- Reese Walker (SAC) def. Leandra Nizetic (EWU) 3-6, 6-0, 6-3
- Lou Baudouin (SAC) def. Anait Arutiunian (EWU) 6-0, 6-4
- Zoe Pradel (EWU) def. Irene Riva (SAC) 6-4, 6-4
- Cami Maldonado (SAC) def. Veronika Gayevyk (EWU) 6-7 (3-7) 6-1, 6-3
- Olivia Marais (EWU) def. Palina Saulevich (SAC) 2-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-7)
- Isabella Temenugov (SAC) def. Aneliss Zamfirescu (EWU) 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 (11-9)
Doubles
- Irene Riva / Palina Saulevich (SAC) def. Zoe Pradel / Olivia Marais (EWU) 6-3
- Isabella Temenugov / Lou Baudouin (SAC) def. Anait Arutiunian / Sara Vasic (EWU) 6-4
- Reese Walker / Cami Maldonado (SAC) def. Leandra Nizetic / Maria Lopez (EWU) 7-5
Up Next
Eastern Washington has little rest time, as they drive south tomorrow (March 21) to play Washington State in Pullman, with first serve at 1 p.m.
Join the Eagle Athletic Fund for as low as $50 per year! Support Eagle student-athletes on and off the field while enjoying exclusive EAF perks such as season ticket and tailgating priority, invitations to special events, exclusive access and more. Visit goeags.com/eaf for more information.
ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.
FOLLOW THE EAGLES
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
