PHOENIX -- The Sacramento State women's tennis team will try and follow up its Big Sky Conference regular season title with a tournament championship after the third-seeded Hornets rolled past second-seeded Montana, 4-1, on Friday morning in Phoenix, Ariz., to clinch a berth in Saturday's title match.
Sacramento State improved to 19-7 overall on the season, posting the program's highest win total since finishing the 2011 season with a 19-9 record and playing in the championship match for the first time since winning the tournament in 2012.
The Hornets face fifth-seeded Weber State in Saturday's (April 27) championship match at 8 a.m., after the Wildcats came from behind to upset top-seeded Idaho State, 4-3. The two programs will meet in the championship for the second time and the first since 2005 when Sacramento State posted a 4-0 win over Weber State — also in Phoenix, Ariz. Earlier this year, the Hornets defeated the Wildcats, 4-3, at home on March 16, winning four straight singles contests after Weber State had taken the doubles point.
The Lady Griz finished their season at 8-12 overall.
Wasting little time in jumping out to the lead, Sacramento State quickly claimed the doubles point with wins at the top two spots in the line-up to take a 1-0 advantage in the dual. The tandem of Maddy Ferreros and Irene Riva were the first off with a 6-4 win at the No. 2 spot over Grace Haugen and Rosie Sterk, improving to 15-4 overall on the season. The duo of Weronika Ejsmont and Best Lee then clinched with a 6-4 win over Hailey Murphy and Kelsey Phillips at the top spot to win their 10th match of the year as a team.
Switching to singles, Riva was the first to claim a point, dispatching Olivia Oosterbaan, 6-1, 6-2, at No. 5 to clinch her 19th win of the season before Montana was able to get on the board with a win at No. 3. From there on out, it was all Hornets as freshman Elena Mercioiu posted a, 6-3, 6-0, win over Maria Goheen at No. 4 and Baudouin claimed the clincher, outlasting Kelsey Phillips at No. 2 for a, 6-3, 7-5, victory.
Riva's 19 singles wins has her tied for 12th on the school's single-season list according to available records dating back to 1992, needing just one more win to become the first Hornet to win at least 20 matches since Clarisse Baca finished 20-7 in 2010-11. Meanwhlie, Baudouin's 18th win of the year placed her in a tie for 15th on that same list.
NCAA WOMEN'S TENNIS
#3 Sacramento State 4, #2 Montana 1
April 26, 2024 // Phoenix, Ariz. (Phoenix Tennis Center)
DOUBLES
1. Weronika Ejsmont / Best Lee (SAC) def. Hailey Murphy / Kelsey Phillips (UM), 6-4
2. Maddy Ferreros / Irene Riva (SAC) def. Grace Haugen / Rosie Sterk (UM), 6-4
3. Mayya Gorbunova / Lou Baudouin (SAC) vs. Maria Goheen / Olivia Oosterbaan (UM), 4-4 unfinished
Order of finish: 2, 1*
SINGLES
1. Mayya Gorbunova (SAC) vs. Hailey Murphy (UM), 6-3, 6-5 unfinished
2. Lou Baudouin (SAC) def. Kelsey Phillips (UM), 6-3, 7-5
3. Grace Haugen (UM) def. Maddy Ferreros (SAC), 6-1, 6-2
4. Elena Mercioiu (SAC) def. Maria Goheen (UM), 6-3, 6-0
5. Irene Riva (SAC) def. Olivia Oosterbaan (UM), 6-1, 6-2
6. Best Lee (SAC) vs. Rosie Sterk (UM), 4-6, 6-3, 2-2 unfinished
Order of finish: 5, 3, 4, 2*
