Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
No. 60 San Jose State
No. 42 `Dogs Top No. 60 Spartans in MW Clash
3/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
By Josh Mitchell
jomitchell@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
FRESNO, Calif. - The No. 42 Fresno State women's tennis team faced potentially its toughest matchup of the 2015 conference slate, defeating No. 60 San Jose State, 5-2, on Friday afternoon at the Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center. With the win, the 'Dogs improved to 11-3 on the year and 2-0 in Mountain West play.
"San Jose State is a very tough opponent, very talented. We really showed some good poise and we played our aggressive style and the girls really focused well. I was proud of every single person," head coach Ryan Stotland said. "Doubles competed really hard and showed a lot of mental toughness. We came out and beat a very good opponent, and a conference one at that."
The Bulldogs' doubles teams came out and swept Spartans, with its top two pairs in sisters Maiar and Rana Sherif Ahmed, and twin sisters Anneka and Sophie Watts each winning with 6-2 score lines. Despite the point clinched, the teams played out the third flight with Sofya Malysheva and Tanya Murtagh winning 6-4.
In singles, Rana Sherif Ahmed took the lead at No. 3, allowing Marie Klocker to take just one point on her, as she won 6-0, 6-1. After Murtagh fell on court six, Anneka Watts comfortably defeated Julianna Bacelar, 6-0, 6-2, to give the `Dogs a 3-1 lead.
"A great, great match by both of them," Stotland said of his No. 3 and No. 4 players. "If we can see that from both of them the rest of the year, I can just sit back and watch them play because that's what Melissa (McQueen) and I did today. They were so relentless and they did exactly what they needed to do. It was fun to watch."
Riding 11-match win streaks, both Maiar Sherif Ahmed and Sophie Watts had to grind through three-set matches. Despite taking a 3-2 lead in the first set against Gaelle Rey, Watts dropped the next two points and couldn't come back, falling 6-4. The No. 45-ranked player in the country pulled things together though and didn't allow Rey to score a point the rest of the way, taking the final sets 6-0, 6-0, to clinch the dual win for Fresno State.
Sherif Ahmed trailed 2-0 in the first set to start her match against fellow freshman Sybille Gauvain, and then still trailed at 4-3, before flipping the set with back-to back points. She won the opening set 6-4, but quickly dropped five-straight points in the second set before falling 6-3. Un-phased by losing the second set, she cruised through the third set to a 6-1 win.
"[Sophie and Maiar] did a great job," Stotland noted. "They really believe in themselves and believe in everything they're told. Sometimes tennis is a grind. What's great is that it's not over after one set so they just kept with the game plan, realized their mistakes and made adjustments."
Fresno State will be back on its home courts on Sunday at 11 a.m., PT, as the team hosts Idaho.
San Jose State vs Fresno State
Mar 13, 2015 at Fresno, Calif.
(Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center)
#42 Fresno State 5, #60 San Jose State 2
Singles competition
1. Maiar Sherif Ahmed (FS) def. Sybille Gauvain (SJSU) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
2. #45 Sophie Watts (FS) def. Gaelle Rey (SJSU) 4-6, 6-0, 6-0
3. Rana Sherif Ahmed (FS) def. Marie Klocker (SJSU) 6-0, 6-1
4. Anneka Watts (FS) def. Julianna Bacelar (SJSU) 6-0, 6-2
5. Malin Cubukcu (SJSU) def. Anne Susdorf (FS) 2-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-3)
6. Abbie Pahz (SJSU) def. Tanya Murtagh (FS) 6-0, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Maiar Sherif Ahmed/Rana Sherif Ahmed (FS) def. Gaelle Rey/Marie Klocker (SJSU) 6-2
2. Anneka Watts/Sophie Watts (FS) def. Sybille Gauvain/Abbie Pahz (SJSU) 6-2
3. Sofya Malysheva/Tanya Murtagh (FS) def. Malin Cubukcu/Julianna Bacelar (SJSU) 6-4
Match Notes:
San Jose State 7-5; National ranking #60
Fresno State 11-3; National ranking #42
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1^,3); Singles (3,6,4,2^,1,5)
Players Mentioned
