SACRAMENTO -- A tightly contested doubles point led to a trio of easy straight set wins for the Sacramento State women's tennis team on Thursday as the Hornets eased past visiting UC San Diego, 4-0, at home.
The Hornets won their second straight and their 11th in the last 12 dual matches, improving to 13-4 overall on the season. The 13 victories are the most since the 2012 squad finished 17-10 overall and advanced to the NCAA Tournament following a Big Sky Conference title.
Meanwhile, the Tritons suffered their fourth consecutive loss and fell to 5-14 overall on the year.
A 6-4 win at No. 1 doubles by the tandem of Weronika Ejsmont and Best Lee quickly put Sacramento State out front, but the remaining two doubles matches were nip-and-tuck all the way. Neither duo led by more than a game at No. 2 doubles as the Hornet duo of Maddy Ferreros and Irene Riva held a 5-4 advantage in the contest only to have UCSD tie it up.
Ferreros and Riva then closed it out with wins in the final two games for the 7-5 victory and the doubles point clincher, improving to a team-best 10-1 overall on the year as a pair — including wins in each of their past four.
Switching to singles, Sacramento State then made quick work of UC San Diego at the top three spots in the lineup, winning all three in straight sets. Ferreros was the first on the board with a, 6-2, 6-1, win over Gabriella Pachl, while Lou Baudouin followed with a, 6-3, 6-2, win over Grace Gamal at No. 2.
Elena Mercioiu then clinched the win with a, 6-1, 6-2, win over Kelly Leung at No. 3.
Baudouin's victory at the No. 2 spot improved her to 12-2 overall on the season, posting wins at every spot in the lineup except for the No. 1 position. Ferreros, playing in only her second match of the year at the top spot, earned her first win atop the ladder, while Mercioiu won her fourth in a row, improving to 5-3 on the season.
The Hornets were up a set in two of the three remaining singles matches that went unfinished as Riva won her opening set, 6-0, over Sophie Pearson at No. 5, while Lee won her first set 6-4 — and was up 5-2 in the second — against Katelyn Vu. at the No. 6 spot.
With rain in the area expected for Friday, Sacramento State's match against Santa Clara has been postponed until Saturday (March 30) and moved indoors to the Spare Time Indoor Tennis Center in Gold River, Calif. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
That match leads into a run of four-straight Big Sky Conference matches on the road over the following two weeks as the Hornets are scheduled to face Montana, Montana State, Eastern Washington, and Idaho, as part of a five-match road trip that ends at UC Davis on April 19.
NCAA WOMEN'S TENNIS
Sacramento State 4, UC San Diego 0
March 28, 2024 // Sacramento, Calif. (Sacramento State Tennis Courts)
DOUBLES
1. Weronika Ejsmont / Best Lee (SAC) def. Gabriella Pachl / Grace Gamal (UCSD), 6-4
2. Maddy Ferreros / Irene Riva (SAC) def. Naomi Nguyen / Sophie Pearson (UCSD), 7-5
3. Lou Baudouin / Reese Walker (SAC) vs. Kelly Leung / Katelyn Vu (UCSD), 6-6 unfinished
Order of finish: 1, 2*
SINGLES
1. Maddy Ferreros (SAC) def. Gabriella Pachl (UCSD), 6-2, 6-1
2. Lou Baudouin (SAC) def. Grace Gamal (UCSD), 6-3, 6-2
3. Elena Mercioiu (SAC) def. Kelly Leung (UCSD), 6-1, 6-2
4. Irene Riva (SAC) vs. Sophie Pearson (UCSD), 6-0, 4-5 unfinished
5. Reese Walker (SAC) vs. Polina Jorniak (UCSD), 6-7, 3-0 unfinished
6. Best Lee (SAC) vs. Katelyn Vu (UCSD), 6-4, 5-2 unfinished
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3*
