PHOENIX -- The Sacramento State women's tennis team's run through the Big Sky Conference Championships came to a heartbreaking end on Friday morning, as the fourth-seeded Hornets fell to top-seeded Weber State by a 4-2 score at the Phoenix Tennis Center.

Sacramento State finished its 2022 season with a 5-19 overall record and a 3-5 mark in league play under the direction of first-year head coach Sophie Breault. The Wildcats improved to 14-8 overall and set up a rematch with regular season co-champion and second-seeded Northern Arizona in Saturday's championship match.

For the second straight day — and the third time in their last five outings — the Hornets were able to grab the early advantage with a win in doubles, posting victories at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots for a 1-0 lead in the match. After falling at No. 1, the duo of Maddy Ferreros and Alexis Johnson evened up the doubles competition with a 6-4 win at the No. 3 position, and was followed by the tandem of Weronika Ejsmont and Megan Tagaloa, which out-lasted Weber State's Sicely Ferreira and Megan Davies for a, 7-6 (4), win at No. 2 to clinch the point.

Ferreros and Johnson posted their second straight win as a team and improved to 9-8 overall for the year, matching Alter and Yotova (9-10 overall) for the most doubles wins on the team this season. Ejsmont and Tagaloa also won their second straight match together, winning for the fourth time at the No. 2 spot in the Sacramento State lineup.

With the scene switching to singles, freshman Grace McSkimming was quick out of the gate to stake the Hornets to a 2-0 lead in the match overall, defeating the Wildcats' Ferreira in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4. Playing at No. 5 for the fourth consecutive dual, the Corona, Calif., native won her third straight overall, finishing at 8-3 in singles competition to share the team lead.

Three of the remaining five singles matches would be pushed to three sets, but Weber State would answer quickly to tie-up the match at two apiece with straight-set wins at the No. 4 and No. 2 positions. With momentum hanging in the balance, the Wildcats' Megan Lombardi was able to push past Johnson at No. 6 in a marathon third set, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, for a 3-2 lead in the match, while Davies also answered a second-set loss with a, 7-6, 3-6, 6-4, win over Yotova at No. 1 singles to clinch the victory.

Had the Hornets been able to flip the result in either of those final two singles contests, Sacramento State would have been in the driver's seat to advance as Ferreros held a commanding lead in her three-set battle with Pei-Hsuan Kuo at the No. 3 spot. The Nipomo, Calif., native bounced back from a 6-4 loss in the opening set to win 7-5 in the second and held a 4-1 lead in the third when the match ended.

Johnson, McSkimming, and Yotova, all finished the year with a team-high eight wins overall, while Yotova finished a team-best 5-3 against Big Sky opponents and led the team with four wins at the No. 1 spot in singles. Along with their nine doubles wins, Alter and Yotova also finished 6-2 against conference opponents, competing most of the season at the No. 1 spot in the Hornets' lineup.

NCAA WOMEN'S TENNIS
Big Sky Conference Championship Semifinals
#1 Weber State 4, #4 Sacramento State 2
April 29, 2022 // Phoenix Tennis Center // Phoenix, Ariz.

DOUBLES
1. Pei-Hsuan Kuo / Ana Morett (WSU) def. Paige Alter / Tsveti Yotova (SAC), 6-3
2. Weronika Ejsmont / Megan Tagaloa (SAC) def. Sicely Ferreira / Megan Davies (WSU), 7-6 (4)
3. Maddy Ferreros / Alexis Johnson (SAC) def. Yuun Ukita / Megan Lombardi (WSU), 6-4

Order of finish: 1, 3, 2*

SINGLES
1. Megan Davies (WSU) def. Tsveti Yotova (SAC), 7-6, 3-6, 6-4
2. Ana Morett (WSU) def. Weronika Ejsmont (SAC), 6-4, 6-4
3. Pei-Hsuan Kuo (WSU) vs. Maddy Ferreros (SAC), 6-4, 5-7, 1-4 unfinished
4. Yuuna Ukita (WSU) def. Paige Alter (SAC), 6-1, 7-5
5. Grace McSkimming (SAC) def. Sicely Ferreira (WSU), 6-2, 6-4
6. Megan Lombardi (WSU) def. Alexis Johnson (SAC), 6-3, 2-6, 7-5

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