SACRAMENTO -- The Sacramento State women's tennis team extended its winning streak to seven straight duals on Monday afternoon, defeating visiting Utah State by a 5-2 score at the Sacramento State Tennis Courts on campus.

Thanks, in part to those seven consecutive victories, the Hornets improved to 9-3 overall on the year — the most wins of any Big Sky Conference school to this point in the season — and 5-1 at home, while the Aggies fell to 3-6 overall.

The seven straight victories marks the program's longest winning streak since claiming eight consecutive wins from March 24-April 22, 2012, while the 9-3 record is the program's best 12-match start since the 2008 team began the year with an 11-1 overall mark.

Sacramento State opened by clinching the doubles point for the sixth consecutive dual as the tandem of Weronika Ejsmont and Best Lee easily won at the No. 1 spot by a 6-0 score, while the duo of Maddy Ferreros and Irene Riva clinched the point with a 6-2 win at No. 2.

Ferreros and Riva remained undefeated as a pairing in doubles with their win, improving to 6-0 on the season at the No. 2 spot, while Ejsmont and Lee moved to 4-2 on the year as a pair, all at the No. 1 spot on the doubles ladder.

The Hornets then rolled to straight-set victories at the No. 1, No. 6, and No. 5 courts to officially clinch the dual, adding a win at No. 3 to cap the scoring. Senior Mayya Gorbunova made it 2-0 in favor of the home team with a, 6-1, 6-2, win over the Aggies' Zeynep Naz Ozturk, winning her fifth straight singles match overall and improving to 7-1 at the No. 1 spot in the lineup this year.

Freshman Reese Walker put her team one point closer with a win at No. 6, defeating Magdalena Nunez Pureco, 6-1, 6-3, to win her fourth singles match of the year, while classmate Irene Riva came up with the match-clincher thanks to her win at No. 5, dispatching Utah State's Ana Paula Chavez Sanchez, 6-2, 6-4, to improve to 10-1 overall and win her ninth-straight match.

Lou Baudouin gave Sacramento State its fifth point of the day, rallying to defeat Niyati Kukreti in three sets, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2, to also win for the 10th time in 11 singles matches this year.

Utah State broke up the shutout with wins in the final two singles contests of the day, prevailing in three sets at No. 2 and No. 4 for the final score.

Monday's victory kicked-off a run of seven straight at home, which continues on Saturday (March 16) at 11 a.m., as the Hornets play host to Weber State in their Big Sky opener.

NCAA WOMEN'S TENNIS
Sacramento State 5, Utah State 2
March 11, 2024 // Sacramento, Calif. (Sacramento State Tennis Courts)

DOUBLES
1. Weronika Ejsmont / Best Lee (SAC) def. Zeynep Naz Ozturk / Ana Paula Chavez Sanchez (USU), 6-0
2. Maddy Ferreros / Irene Riva (SAC) def. Laura Fernanda Eugenio De Hilario / Savannah Johnson (USU), 6-2
3. Lou Baudouin / Mayya Gorbunova (SAC) vs. Niyati Kukreti / Magdalena Nunez Pureco (USU), 4-3 unfinished

Order of finish: 1, 2*

SINGLES
1. Mayya Gorbunova (SAC) def. Zeynep Naz Ozturk (USU), 6-1, 6-2
2. Laura Fernanda Eugenio De Hilario (USU) def. Maddy Ferreros (SAC), 6-3, 2-6, 6-2
3. Lou Baudouin (SAC) def. Niyati Kukreti (USU), 6-3, 1-6, 6-2
4. Indya Nespor (USU) def. Elena Mercioiu (USU), 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (10-6)
5. Irene Riva (SAC) def. Ana Paula Chavez Sanchez (USU), 6-2, 6-4
6. Reese Walker (SAC) def. Magdalena Nunez Pureco (USU), 6-1, 6-3

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