LA JOLLA, Calif. -- The Sacramento State women's tennis team jumped out to an early lead with the doubles point, but could not close out the match as host UC San Diego rallied with four singles wins to pull out a 4-3 victory over the Hornets on Friday afternoon at the Northview Tennis Courts.

The loss snapped Sacramento State's three-match winning streak as the Hornets fell to 3-2 overall on the season. The Tritons improved to 4-3 with the victory, winning their second consecutive dual.

Making a habit out of jumping out to an early 1-0 lead in matches this season, Sacramento State made it a perfect 5-for-5 in claiming the doubles point on the year, posting wins at the No. 1 and No. 3 positions for the early advantage.

The duo of junior Mayya Gorbunova and senior Tsveti Yotova improved to 5-0 as a team this year, winning easily by a 6-3 score at the top rung of the ladder. Sophomore Maddy Ferreros and junior Alexis Johnson then improved to 3-0 overall as a tandem, outlasting UCSD for a 7-5 victory at the No. 3 spot.

A loss at the No. 2 position marked only the second loss of the season in doubles for the Hornets, who moved to 11-2 as a team in doubles this spring.

With the scene switching to singles, Ferreros quickly put the Hornets up by a 2-0 score with a straight set victory at No. 2, sweeping past Gabriella Pachl, 6-2, 6-1.

The Tritons the quickly turned the tide with wins at the No. 3, No. 5, and No. 6 positions — all in straight sets — before Gorbunova rallied for a three-set win at the No. 1 position, coming back to defeat Kelly Leung, 1-6, 6-1, 6-3, and tie the overall match at three points apiece.

For Gorbunova, the victory kept her unbeaten run intact as she improved to 5-0 at No. 1 singles this year while forced to play three sets for just the first time in five duals.

That set the stage for the deciding match at No. 4 singles were Weronika Ejsmont opened with a 6-4 win over Sophie Pearson to start their match, only to have Pearson rally for wins of 6-1 and 6-2 in the second and third sets to claim the team victory.

Sacramento State closes out its Southern California trip with another Big West Conference foe on Saturday (Feb. 11) at 11 a.m., taking on UC Irvine.

NCAA WOMEN'S TENNIS
UC San Diego 4, Sacramento State 3
Feb. 10, 2023 // La Jolla, Calif. (Northview Tennis Courts)

DOUBLES
1. Mayya Gorbunova / Tsveti Yotova (SAC) def. Gabriella Pachl / Grace Gamal (UCSD), 6-3
2. Kelly Leung / Naomi Nguyen (UCSD) def. Weronika Ejsmont / Best Lee (SAC) 7-5
3. Maddy Ferreros / Alexis Johnson (SAC) def. Katelyn Vu / Rachel Wagner (UCSD), 7-5

Order of finish: 1, 3*, 2

SINGLES
1. Mayya Gorbunova (SAC) def. Kelly Leung (UCSD), 1-6, 6-1, 6-3
2. Maddy Ferreros (SAC) def. Gabriella Pachl (UCSD), 6-2, 6-1
3. Grace Gamal (UCSD) def. Tsveti Yotova (SAC), 6-4, 6-4
4. Sophie Pearson (UCSD) def. Weronika Ejsmont (SAC), 4-6, 6-1, 6-2
5. Naomi Nguyen (UCSD) def. Julia Moraes (SAC), 6-0, 6-2
6. Katelyn Vu (UCSD) def. Grace McSkimming (SAC), 7-5, 6-3

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