A trip to Boise, Idaho didn’t go well for the San Diego State women’s tennis team.
Playing outside the Aztec Tennis Center for the first time this season, the Aztecs (3-5, 1-3 Mountain West Conference) dropped their first game on April 2 against Utah State and were unable to find victory against Boise State the following day.
The Scarlet and Black have now lost four of their last five games and have only won a single conference game.
Game 1
The duel between the Aztecs and Aggies took place on neutral ground at the Appleton Tennis Center.
Even though it fell behind early, SDSU was able to make a late rally to tie the game at three. However, a last-second loss in singles sunk the Aztecs with a final score of 3-4.
In doubles play, it was Utah State who broke through to win the overall point.
Sophomores Renata Lombera and Carolina Millan overcame senior Tamara Arnold and junior Alicia Melosch 6-4 on the first court.
SDSU sophomore Cecile Morin and freshman Alexandria Von Tersch Porter tried to keep up with the junior pair of Annaliese County and Gabrielle Dekkers but ultimately absorbed a 6-2 defeat.
It seemed like the Aggies would continue to run amok on the court after Ryan defeated Pitts 7-5, 6-3 on the second court.
The teams proceeded to swap wins as Morin rebounded from a first-set loss to win 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 against Kung. Redshirt freshman Lillian Okamato then beat Tersch Porter 6-2, 7-6 (3) to give USU its third win of the day.
Back-to-back wins slingshotted the Aztecs into a tie game. After a setback in the second set, senior Nnena Nadozie staged a comeback against sophomore Sidnee Lavatai for a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 win.
Sophomore Tamara Arnold also took a second-set loss but still found victory over sophomore Renata Lombera by a 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-1 margin.
With the match tied at three points each, all eyes turned towards the fifth court where Melosch and County were having a back-and-forth battle.
County took the first set only for Melosch to stand right back up to win the second set. However, the Aztec junior ran out of steam in the third set as County brought home the win and match by a 7-5, 6-7 (3), 6-4 score.
Game 2
The day after the loss to USU, SDSU was right back on the court, this time against the hometown Boise State Broncos.
The Broncos defended their turf against the visitors in a 4-1 showing, dropping the Aztecs to 3-5 on the season and 1-3 in conference play.
Starting with doubles, Morin and Pitts were the first to fall as they were defeated 6-2 by freshman Pauline Ernstberger and redshirt freshman Holly Stewart.
Nadozie and Abbie Mulbarger, however, evened up the score by swatting aside redshirt junior Vanessa Timm and freshman Nicole Discenza 6-2 on the third court.
The final match on the first court would be the decisive tiebreaker. However, Arnold and Melosch couldn’t overcome redshirt freshman Joana Baptista and freshman Shauna Heffernen as the Broncos took the doubles point after a 7-6 (3) victory.
With momentum on its side, BSU ran wild through singles play, starting with a 6-2, 6-2 win by Stewart over Nadozie.
Victories by Tim and Discenza clinched the dual set match for the Broncos. The lone Aztecs victory in singles came courtesy of Arnold, who defeated Baptista 6-4, 6-2 on the first court.
The Aztecs will return to the Aztec Tennis Center for weekend tennis as they host both New Mexico and Air Force on April 10-11.
