Even though it was a road contest in unfamiliar surroundings, the match was still played in San Diego State’s neighborhood. Nevertheless, the women’s tennis team (13-12; 2-4 Western Athletic Conference) continued to fall on hard times away from home.
The University of San Diego (14-11; 2-2 West Coast Conference) bested the Aztecs, 6-3, at USD’s west courts on Friday. The loss is SDSU’s third in a row, all coming on the road.
The afternoon didn’t start off kindly for the struggling Aztecs when they found themselves in a hole early.
SDSU’s No. 6 singles player Lisa Papi and No. 4 player Emma Doyle lost their matches in straight sets. USD’s Millie Prior ousted Papi 6-4, 6-1, while Doyle fell to Tasha Jackson 6-2, 6-1.
“We just came out here today ready to play,” USD head coach Sherri Stephens said. “We weren’t nervous or scared. Overall, we had a positive attitude and played really well.”
From there, SDSU junior Jeannette Bhaguandas was able to temporarily stop the bleeding. She overcame a first-set defeat to come back and beat Julie Baird 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.
“I just tried to focus on one thing after the first-set loss,” Bhaguandas said. “My biggest problem was reacting too slowly. I needed to be quicker on my feet.”
The Torreros widened their lead to 4-1 by the time the next two singles matches were completed. USD’s No. 2 player Brigig Joyce outlasted Molly Lindahl 1-6, 6-4, 6-4.
In the No. 5 singles match, SDSU’s Tamara Bridges had her personal three-match winning streak snapped by Steffi Hesse 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
SDSU’s No. 1 player Maggie Cole fought off Zuzana Lesenarova’s heavy serve and big-time backhand to beat her 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, and, in turn, breathed a little life into the Aztecs’ attack, despite Lesenarova’s constant complaining over Cole’s line calls. This win made the score 4-2 heading into doubles play.
A sweep in the three doubles matches was in order for SDSU to snatch away the victory from USD. It didn’t happen, however, as only the team of Cole and Papi was able to beat Yvonne Doyle and Baird, 8-3, ending the Aztecs’ regular season in a tailspin.
After the match, sophomore and team leader Cole said, “We need to be mentally strong in order to win (the WAC tournament). I just hope that everyone on the court is pushing themselves to do well, because I am.”
