SACRAMENTO -- Junior Mayya Gorbunova rallied from down a set to force a tie-breaking third set, then came back from a deficit in the deciding frame to defeat UC Davis' Yana Gurevich and help lift Sacramento State to a 4-3 victory over the rival Aggies on "Senior Day" at the Sacramento State Tennis Courts.
The win was the first for the Hornets over their rivals since a 5-2 victory in 2012 and evened their record at 10-10 overall on the season. Sacramento State now prepares for the Big Sky Championships in Arizona on April 27, where the Hornets are the No. 5 seed and will take on No. 4 Idaho State in the opening round.
UC Davis fell to 8-12 overall with the defeat despite nearly rallying back from a 3-0 deficit in the match.
After jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the contest, the Aggies stormed back with three wins at the No. 6, No. 3, and No. 2 spots in the lineup to tie the match at 3-3.
That turned the attention to the lone remaining contest at No. 1, where Gorbunova rebounded from dropping the first set to Gurevich, 6-1, to stave off elimination with a 7-6 (5) victory in the second. Twice trailing at 4-3 and 5-4 in the third, Gorbunova fought off match point and won the the final three games to take the final set 7-5 and set off the celebration from the sidelines.
Sacramento State opened by winning the doubles point to take a 1-0 lead in the match as Maddy Ferreros and Alexis Johnson got the Hornets on the board with a 6-2 win at No. 3, before Gorbunova and senior Tsveti Yotova broke a 1-1 tie with a 6-4 win at No. 2, extending their winning streak to three straight duals and posting their team-best 12th doubles triumph of the season.
Yotova and Best Lee then extended the Sacramento State lead with a pair of straight-set wins at No. 4 and No. 5 for a 3-0 lead in the match. Yotova defeated Kristina Evloeva, 6-2, 6-2, while Lee downed Carly Schwartzberg, 7-5, 6-3, to put UC Davis' collective backs against the wall.
Lauren Ko won in straight sets at No. 6 to get the Aggies on the board and Olive Maunupau and Kaia Wolfe rebounded from first-set defeats to each win in three, setting the stage for Gorbunova's huge comeback to clinch the match for the Hornets.
Gorbunova improved to 14-5 overall on the year — all at the No. 1 spot in the lineup — for Sacramento State, while Yotova claimed her 10th win of the season, tied for second on the team with Ferreros.
NCAA WOMEN'S TENNIS
Sacramento State 4, UC Davis 3
April 21, 2023 // Sacramento, Calif. (Sacramento State Tennis Courts)
DOUBLES
1. Yana Gurevich / Arianna Stavropoulos (UCD) def. Weronika Ejsmont / Best Lee (SAC), 6-4
2. Mayya Gorbunova / Tsveti Yotova (SAC) def. Lauren Ko / Kaia Wolfe (UCD), 6-4
3. Maddy Ferreros / Alexis Johnson (SAC) def. Michelle Zell / Carly Schwartzberg (UCD), 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2*
SINGLES
1. Mayya Gorbunova (SAC) def. Yana Gurevich (UCD), 1-6, 7-6 (5), 7-5
2. Kaia Wolfe (UCD) def. Maddy Ferreros (SAC), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
3. Olive Maunupau (UCD) def. Weronika Ejsmont (SAC), 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
4. Tsveti Yotova (SAC) def. Kristina Evloeva (UCD), 6-2, 6-2
5. Best Lee (SAC) def. Carly Schwartzberg (UCD), 7-5, 6-3
6. Lauren Ko (UCD) def. Grace McSkimming (SAC), 6-4, 6-2
Order of finish: 4, 5, 6, 3, 2, 1*
