LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Sophomore Emilija Pranyte outlasted Long Beach State's Paulina Franco Martinessi in a third-set tiebreaker to bring the Sacramento State women's tennis team back from an early deficit and lift the No. 68-ranked Hornets to a 4-3 upset of the No. 52-ranked Beach on Saturday afternoon at the Rhodes Tennis Center in Long Beach, Calif.
Facing its second nationally ranked opponent of the season, Sacramento State improved to 6-3 overall on the year, posting its first win over a ranked opponent since beating Long Beach State (then ranked No. 67) at home by the same score on April 2 of last season.
Saturday marked the fourth time in their last five matches — and the sixth time overall this year — that the Hornets have played to a 4-3 result, improving to 3-3 in those contests.
With the loss, the Beach fell to 5-5 overall.
Long Beach State jumped out to the early lead with wins at the top two doubles spots for a 1-0 lead in the match, but the Hornets quickly tied it up when the Beach's Daisy Carpenter was forced to retire in her match against Palina Saulevich to make it 1-1.
The two teams traded wins — Long Beach State winning at No. 2 and Reese Walker taking down Diana De Simone in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, at No. 1 — to keep things knotted up before freshman Cami Maldonado Gutierrez came through with a 7-6 (6), 6-4, win at No. 4 to put the Hornets ahead.
A win at No. 3 singles followed for the Beach to tie the match once again, sending all eyes to court five where Pranyte was attempting a comeback from down one set against Franco Martinessi, who won the opener, 6-2. Pranyte answered with a 6-3 win in the second and the clinching point would be decided in a tiebreaker where the Hornets' sophomore rolled to a 7-3 victory.
It was Pranyte's second match-clinching point in the team's last three duals as she also had the honor of clinching the win over Fresno State back on Feb. 14.
The Hornets close out their trip to Southern California on Sunday against another nationally ranked opponent, taking on No. 22 San Diego State at 11 a.m.
NCAA WOMEN'S TENNIS
#68 Sacramento State 4, #52 Long Beach State 3
Feb. 21, 2026 // Long Beach, Calif. (Rhodes Tennis Center)
DOUBLES
1. Paulina Franco Martinessi / Cecilia Costa (LB) def. Lou Baudouin / Irene Riva (SAC), 6-3
2. Thea Jagare / Pamela Badillo (LB) def. Emilija Pranyte / Palina Saulevich (SAC), 6-4
3. Cami Maldonado Gutierrez / Reese Walker vs. Diana De Simone / Daisy Carpenter (LB), 5-4 unfinished
Order of finish: 2, 1*
SINGLES
1. Reese Walker (SAC) def. Diana De Simone (LB), 6-4, 6-3
2. Cecilia Costa (LB) def. Lou Baudouin (SAC), 6-2, 6-1
3. Thea Jagare (LB) def. Irene Riva (SAC), 7-6 (7), 6-1
4. Cami Maldonado Gutierrez (SAC) def. Pamela Badillo (LB), 7-6 (6), 6-4
5. Emilija Pranyte (SAC) def. Paulina Franco Martinessi (LB), 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3)
6. Palina Saulevich (SAC) def. Daisy Carpenter (LB), 3-0 ret.
Order of finish: 6, 2, 1, 4, 3, 5*
