SACRAMENTO -- Sophomore Paige Alter finished 2-0 on the day, posting wins at No. 2 doubles and No. 4 singles, while freshman Best Lee gutted out a three-set victory at No. 5 singles for Sacramento State's other victory, but the Hornets fell in their Big Sky Conference opener, 5-2, to Northern Arizona on Friday afternoon.

The loss was Sacramento State's sixth straight as the Hornets fell to 1-12 overall on the year. The Lumberjacks improved to 3-7 overall.

Alter opened with a 6-2 doubles win alongside sophomore teammate Tsverti Yotova at the No. 2 spot after NAU had clinched the doubles point for a 1-0 lead in the match overall, then outlasted the Lumberjacks' Elinor Beazley for a three-set, 4-6, 7-5, 10-4, win at No. 4 to close out the day.

Alter and Yotova have now combined for a team-high three doubles wins, while Alter's fourth singles triumph of the year tied her for the team lead with teammate Alexis Johnson.

Lee rang up the Hornets' first point of the day at the No. 5 spot, winning her opening set against Laura Duhl, 6-4, before falling in the second, 6-2, to force the tiebreaker, which she won handily, 10-4. Friday marked only her fifth singles dual of the spring and her first win. 

Sacramento State returns to action with two more Big Sky opponents next weekend at home, welcoming Idaho State on Saturday (March 26) at Noon and Portland State on Sunday (March 27) at 11 a.m.

NCAA WOMEN'S TENNIS
Northern Arizona 5, Sacramento State 2
March 18, 2022 // Sacramento, Calif.

DOUBLES
1. BLAND, Mimi/DAVIS, Annabel (NAU) def. EJSMONT, Weronika/LEE, Best (SAC) 6-1
2. YOTOVA, Tsveti/ALTER, Paige (SAC) def. BEAZLEY, Elinor/DUHL, Laura (NAU) 6-2
3. NEYESTANI, Ava/DITTMANN, Gina (NAU) def. CASEY, Shauna/JOHNSON, Alexis (SAC) 6-0

Order of finish: 3, 1*, 2

SINGLES
1. DITTMANN, Gina (NAU) def. EJSMONT, Weronika (SAC) 6-3, 6-2
2. BLAND, Mimi (NAU) def. FERREROS, Maddy (SAC) 6-2, 6-1
3. MARKOVA, Sofia (NAU) def. YOTOVA, Tsveti (SAC) 6-0, 7-5
4. ALTER, Paige (SAC) def. BEAZLEY, Elinor (NAU) 4-6, 7-5, 10-4
5. LEE, Best (SAC) def. DUHL, Laura (NAU) 6-4, 2-6, 10-4
6. NEYESTANI, Ava (NAU) def. TAGALOA, Megan (SAC) 6-3, 6-3

Order of finish: 2, 1, 6*, 3, 5, 4