SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Sacramento State sophomore Irene Riva rallied from down 2-0 in the decisive third set to win six of the next seven games and help the host Hornets clinch a down-to-the-wire 4-3 victory over No. 67 Long Beach State on Wednesday afternoon at the Sacramento State Tennis Complex on campus.
The Hornets clinched their eighth consecutive victory in improving to 15-2 overall, posting its longest winning streak since posting nine straight wins from Feb. 10 to March 19 of last season. The Beach fell to 11-5 overall with the loss.
Wednesday marked the first win over a ranked team for Sacramento State since the Hornets posted a 5-1 win at home against UC Irvine on April 12, 2012, when the Anteaters were ranked No. 66 in the nation.
Sacramento State easily won the doubles point for a 1-0 lead in the match and quickly posted straight-set wins in singles at the No. 1 and No. 3 positions for a 3-0 advantage. Sophomore Lou Baudouin was the first off with a 6-2, 6-4, victory over Thea Jagare, and reigning Big Sky Conference Player of the Week Maddy Ferreros followed almost simultaneously with a 6-1, 6-4, win over Diana De Simone at the top spot.
Long Beach State then rallied, earning a straight-set win at No. 5 and outlasting the Hornets with three-set victories at No. 5, No. 4, and No. 2, to tie the dual at three points apiece.
That sent both teams over to court No. 6 where Riva opened with a 6-0 first-set win against Daisy Carpenter only to have Carpenter answer with a 6-4 victory in the second set. The Beach freshman then scored the first two games of the third set before Riva found a groove.
The Hornet sophomore won the next five games to go up 5-2 and, after dropping the next game, won the sixth to set off the Sacramento State celebration in a match that took nearly four hours.
With her victory, Riva remained undefeated on the season at 10-0, while Ferreros won her seventh straight singles match to improve to 11-4 at the No. 1 spot in the lineup. In doubles, the duo of Baudouin and Emilija Pranyte won for the seventh straight dual to improve to 9-2 as a tandem, while Palina Saulevich and Reese Walker moved to 5-0 as a team.
Wednesday's win gives the Hornets momentum heading into a big weekend where they will face-off against Big Sky rival Northern Arizona on Saturday (April 5) at 10 a.m. in a battle for first place. Sacramento State then closes out their week with a trip to Portland State on Monday (April 7) for a 10 a.m. first serve in the final road match of the year.
NCAA WOMEN'S TENNIS
Sacramento State 4, #67 Long Beach State 3
April 2, 2025 // Sacramento, Calif. (Sacramento State Tennis Complex)
DOUBLES
1. Maddy Ferreros / Irene Riva (SAC) vs. Pamela Badillo Hernandez / Cecilia Costa (LB), 4-2 unfinished
2. Lou Baudouin / Emilija Pranyte (SAC) def. Johanna Hiesmar / Thea Jagare (LB), 6-0
3. Palina Saulevich / Reese Walker (SAC) def. Diana De Simone / Paulina Franco (LB), 6-1
Order of finish: 2, 3*
SINGLES
1. Maddy Ferreros (SAC) def. Diana De Simone (LB), 6-1, 6-4
2. Cecilia Costa (LB) def. Reese Walker (SAC), 0-6, 7-6, 6-4
3. Lou Baudouin (SAC) def. Thea Jagare (LB), 6-2, 6-4
4. Daria Malaescu (LB) def. Emilija Pranyte (SAC), 6-1, 5-7, 6-3
5. Pamela Badillo Hernandez (LB) def. Elena Mercioiu (SAC), 7-5, 6-3
6. Irene Riva (SAC) def. Daisy Carpenter (LB), 6-0, 4-6, 6-3
Order of finish: 3, 1, 5, 4, 2, 6*
