Cal State Fullerton reached the women’s tennis tournament finals for the first time in program history, while Hawai‘i hopes the third time is a charm as the ‘Bows seek their first title.
Hawai‘i Edges UC Santa Barbara In Tournament Classic
BOX SCORE
After two straight years of losing to UC Santa Barbara in the finals of the Big West Women’s Tennis Tournament, perhaps all Hawai‘i needed was an opportunity to play the Gauchos a round earlier.
That opportunity was presented on a scorching Saturday morning at Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The fourth-seeded ‘Bows played one of the all-time tournament classics against the No. 1 seed Gauchos, prevailing 4-3 in a four hour and 10 minute slugfest that ended with Marina Hruba collapsing to the court in a dog pile with her UH teammates.
Hruba had just put the finishing touches on a 2-6, 7-6 (5), 7-5 victory over UCSB’s Amanda Atanasson at No. 3 singles. Hruba overcame a 3-0 deficit in that final set to give the ‘Bows an exhausting win over the two-time reigning tournament champions.
Hruba trailed 4-1 in the third set before reeling off three straight points to even matters at 4-4. At 5-5, she broke Atanasson’s serve and then held her own serve to touch a wild celebration on court 12.
The match had all the making of an epic battle, although UCSB (12-13) took early control with the doubles point. The 42nd-ranked tandem of Palina Dubavets and Natalie Da Silveira earned a 6-1 win over Petra Melounova and Roxanne Resma at No. 1 doubles. Closing out the point was Lise Sentenac and Amit Lev Ari, who posted a 6-4 victory over Klara Pribylova and Nikola Dolakova.
However, UH (12-6) responded with two wins in singles to take a 2-1 lead. Pribylova took down Lev Ari in straight sets, 6-1, 7-6 (0), at No. 4, while the 80th-ranked Melounova outlasted Dubavets in a three-set battle (6-0, 1-6, 6-2).
Back came UCSB with two wins to snatch the lead back. The Gauchos went up 3-2 after Stephanie Yamada collected a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Michelle Pits at No. 5, followed by Da Silveira’s gritty 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Dolakova at No. 2.
But in the fourth, three-set contest of the heated struggle, Resma overcame an early set deficit to corral Sentenac, winning 3-6, 6-4, 6-0.
That set up the showdown at No. 3 singles between Hruba and Atanasson. Hruba, a member of the last two UH teams that came up short against UCSB in the finals, earned the points she needed at the most crucial times to earn the win.
UH will take its third crack at raising the cup on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. against first-time finalist and No. 3 seed Cal State Fullerton.
BIG WEST WOMEN’S TENNIS SEMIFINALS
INDIAN WELLS TENNIS GARDEN
SATURDAY, APRIL 28
(4) HAWAI‘I 4, (1) UC SANTA BARBARA 3
Doubles
1. Dubavets/Da Silveira (UCSB) def. Melounova/Resma (UH) - 6-1
2. Sentenac/Lev Ari (UCSB) def. Pribylova/Dolakova (UH) - 6-4
3. Yamada/Atanasson (UCSB) vs. Hruba/Houbova (UH) - 4-4 (unfinished)
Order of finish: 1, 2
Singles
1. Petra Melounova (UH) def. Palina Dubavets (UCSB) - 6-0, 1-6, 6-2
2. Natalie Da Silveira (UCSB) def. Nikola Dolakova (UH) - 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
3. Marina Hruba (UH) def. Amanda Atanasson (UCSB) - 2-6, 7-6 (5), 7-5
4. Klara Pribylova (UH) def. Amit Lev Ari (UCSB) - 6-1, 7-6 (0)
5. Stephanie Yamada (UCSB) def. Michelle Pits (UH) - 6-4, 6-4
6. Roxanne Resma (UH) def. Lise Sentenac (UCSB) - 3-6, 6-4, 6-0
Order of finish: 4, 1, 5, 2, 6, 3
Cal State Fullerton Advances To Program’s First Tourney Final
BOX SCORE
On a day in which Cal State Fullerton reached the 20-win plateau for the first time in school history, the Titans achieved another first for the program – qualify for the Big West Women’s Tennis Tournament championship match.
The third-seeded Titans improved to 20-5 on the year with a workmanlike 4-0 victory over No. 7 seed Cal Poly in Saturday’s semifinal at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
The Mustangs (7-14) were coming off a three hour and 15 minute upset of No. 2 seed UC Davis that had ended less than 24 hours earlier.
CSF encountered a battle for the doubles point as each side won a match to start things off. Molly Reed and Susanne Boyden won for the Mustangs at No. 2, taking a 6-1 victory over Masako Makiba and Danielle Pham. The Titans retorted with a 6-3 win at No. 1, courtesy of Sarah Nuno and Karla Portalatin. The match came down to No. 3 where Jadie Acidera and Genevieve Zeidan squeezed past Caroline Williams and Grace Olyphant, 6-4.
All three singles matches that finished were in straight sets, and all came via the top of the Titan lineup.
Portalatin earned a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 3 over Cal Poly’s Seriana Saltzen. Nuno upended Boyden (6-3, 6-1) at No. 2 and Zeidan clinched the team win with a 6-4, 6-2 triumph at No. 1 over MacKenzie Worsnop.
The Titans, which played in the semifinals for the second straight year, won a narrow 4-3 contest against Hawai‘i on Mar. 17 in Honolulu. The two teams square off again in Sunday’s championship match at 9:30 am (PT)/6:30 am (HT).
BIG WEST WOMEN’S TENNIS SEMIFINALS
INDIAN WELLS TENNIS GARDEN
SATURDAY, APRIL 28
(3) CAL STATE FULLERTON 4, (7) CAL POLY 0
Doubles
1. Nuno/Portalatin (CSF) def. Abigail Bacharach/Worsnop (CP) - 6-3
2. Reed/Boyden (CP) def. Masako Makiba/Danielle Pham (CSF) - 6-1
3. Acidera/Zeidan (CSF) def. Caroline Williams/Olyphant (CP) - 6-4
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3
Singles
1. Genevieve Zeidan (CSF) def. MacKenzie Worsnop (CP) - 6-4, 6-2
2. Sarah Nuno (CSF) def. Susanne Boyden (CP) - 6-3, 6-1
3. Karla Portalatin (CSF) def. Seriana Saltzen (CP) - 6-3, 6-3
4. Luxizi Meng (CSF) vs. Molly Reed (CP) - 3-6, 2-3 (unfinished)
5. Caisey Lee Emery (CSF) vs. Grace Olyphant (CP) - 6-1, 4-4 (unfinished)
6. Jadie Acidera (CSF) vs. Claire Bouquet (CP) - 6-3, 4-3 (unfinished)
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1