‘Dogs split pair of 4-3 matches on Sunday

Sunday, February 11

Fresno, Calif.

3 p.m. PT

Fresno State

Santa Clara

Photo by: Keith Kountz

‘Dogs split pair of 4-3 matches on Sunday

2/11/2018 8:23:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Fresno State tops Santa Clara in evening dual match.

By: Josh Mitchell / Assistant Director of Communications

FRESNO, Calif. – In its first doubleheader of the season, the Fresno State women's tennis team played a pair of three-hour plus, 4-3 dual matches, falling to Saint Mary's in the morning before coming back and defeating Santa Clara on Sunday evening at Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center.

"There was a lot of learning today," head coach Ryan Stotland said. "We haven't been in that many situations this year where we have been in three-set matches so I think the biggest lesson we learned today was how to compete in those longer, tougher matches, and I'm glad we came out ahead in one of them. We also got some more toughness today because we're going to need that going into a couple hard weeks of competition."

Junior Olivia Noble went 3-0 on the day, providing three points for the Bulldogs as she teamed with Juliane Triebe to clinch the doubles point in both matches, and picked up Fresno State's first singles point against Santa Clara, winning 6-3, 6-2. Emma Wilson, who earned the first singles ranking of her career this week at No. 125, went unfinished in doubles play, but provided a pair of dramatic come-from-behind wins. The first gave the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead against the Gaels, while the second gave the 'Dogs the 4-3 win over the Broncos.

During the morning, Fresno State traded points with Saint Mary's as the 'Dogs earned the doubles point behind its No. 2 and No. 3 teams, but the Gaels responded in singles, leveling the match 1-1 with a win on Court 3. Georgia Lawson pushed the Bulldogs ahead with a 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 5, but Hind Abedlouahid edged out Katerina Stloukalova in a second-set tiebreaker (7-4) to tie the dual match at 2-2.

Dropping the first set 6-2, Wilson responded in the second with a 6-2 win herself. Again, Wilson fell behind in the third but furiously rallied back to knock off Mariia Kozyreva, 6-4, to put the Bulldogs ahead. Fresno State, though, was trailing in the third set on both Court 4 and 6, and eventually dropped both matches as the 'Dogs dropped their first 4-3 match of the season.

Less the two hours later, Fresno State was back on the courts against Santa Clara, winning the doubles point for the third straight match, this time behind quick work from Alessia Dario and Ndindi Ndunda at No. 3 (6-1), and a tightly contested 7-6(5) match from Noble and Triebe at No. 2.

Noble extended the Bulldogs' lead to 2-0 with a straight-set win at No. 6, but the 'Dogs were in need of wins in the second set on each of the remaining five courts as they dropped the opening match on four of them. Losses on Court 3 and 4, brought the match level at 2-2. Pushing to a third set on Court 5 with a 6-2 second set, Ndunda breezed past Elvena Gevargiz, 6-1, in the third to put the 'Dogs within a point of winning the match.

The Broncos again tied the dual match with a 6-2 third set at the No. 2 position. After dropping the opening set for the second time on the day, Wilson again needed to rally back in the second to force a third set. The junior opened the third down 3-0, but again rallied, winning seven of the next nine points to defeat Madison Clarke, 1-6, 6-4, 7-5.

"Emma, down 30-love in the third, she's becoming very tough when battling a team's top player," Stotland noted. "It was very impressive to see her do that twice in a day. I'm very proud of the way she came back in both matches today and gave us a chance."

Fresno State will be off next weekend before heading to Los Angeles to face UCLA on Feb. 23 and USC on Feb. 24.

Saint Mary's vs Fresno State
Feb 11, 2018 at Fresno, Calif.
(Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center)
Saint Mary's 4, Fresno State 3

Singles competition
1. #125 Emma Wilson (FS) def. Mariia Kozyreva (SMC) 2-6, 6-2, 6-4
2. Hind Abdelouahid (SMC) def. Katerina Stloukalova (FS) 6-3, 7-6 (4)
3. Clementine Clement (SMC) def. Juliane Triebe (FS) 6-3, 6-4
4. Kareena Manji (SMC) def. Alessia Dario (FS) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
5. Georgia Lawson (FS) def. Emma Crister (SMC) 6-4, 6-3
6. Vanessa Nommensen (SMC) def. Ndindi Ndunda (FS) 5-7, 6-4, 6-2

Doubles competition
1. #55 Georgia Lawson/Emma Wilson (FS) vs. #51 Hind Abdelouahid/Mariia Kozyreva (SMC) 4-4, unfinished
2. Olivia Noble/Juliane Triebe (FS) def. Clementine Clement/Emma Crister (SMC) 6-2
3. Alessia Dario/Katerina Stloukalova (FS) def. Kareena Manji/Danielle McIntyre (SMC) 6-0

Match Notes:
Saint Mary's 2-4
Fresno State 2-5
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (3,5,2,1,4,6)

Santa Clara vs Fresno State
Feb 11, 2018 at Fresno, Calif.
(Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center)
Fresno State 4, Santa Clara 3

Singles competition
1. #125 Emma Wilson (FS) def. Madison Clarke (SCU) 1-6, 6-4, 7-5
2. Maddie Pothoff (SCU) def. Juliane Triebe (FS) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
3. Zeina El Tawil (SCU) def. Alessia Dario (FS) 6-4, 6-1
4. Katya Tabachnik (SCU) def. Georgia Lawson (FS) 6-3, 6-2
5. Ndindi Ndunda (FS) def. Elvena Gevargiz (SCU) 5-7, 6-2, 6-1
6. Olivia Noble (FS) def. Nadine Del Carmen (SCU) 6-3, 6-2

Doubles competition
1. #55 Georgia Lawson/Emma Wilson (FS) vs. Madison Clarke/Maddie Pothoff (SCU) 5-6, unfinished
2. Olivia Noble/Juliane Triebe (FS) def. Elvena Gevargiz/Katya Tabachnik (SCU) 7-6(5)
3. Alessia Dario/Ndindi Ndunda (FS) def. Zeina El Tawil/Giannina Ong (SCU) 6-1

Match Notes:
Santa Clara 1-3
Fresno State 3-5
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (6,4,3,5,2,1)

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