Women’s tennis wins back-to-back wins over Santa Clara, UC Davis – Daily Sundial

As spring temperatures started to rise in sunny Los Angeles last weekend, the women’s tennis team remained calm under the pressure during their clashes against Santa Clara and UC Davis.

The game against Santa Clara University on Saturday proved the Matadors’ resilience, despite the absence of team No.1 Ekaterina Repina and No.5 Jacquie Tan in singles.

“Two of us are not playing, but I believe in all the other players,” said Repina. “I think they are all playing very well and I hope today is our winning day. “The pair lost their doubles set, 3-1, to JennaMarie Gordon and Giulia Hayer of the Santa Clara Broncos.

Singles matches told a different story. Grunts of frustration between CSUN’s services were greeted with words of support from his teammates on the courts to keep the positive energy flowing throughout the hot afternoon battle.

The first to finish was second student Sasha Turchak, who won both sets 6-2 against Hayer. Turchak’s victory “set the tone” for the Matadors’ winning streak, according to head coach Gary Victor.

“I think we did very well in the doubles which says a lot about the mental toughness of the team,” said Victor. “[Turchak] played so well that it set the tone for us that “yes we can do it!”

Named Big West Player of the Week on March 17, junior Jolene Coetzee continued the trend, edging her opponent first in a 6-3 set, followed by a longer but equally victorious 7-5 set. As a veteran of CSUN’s women’s tennis, Coetzee was able to use her strengths and her opponent’s weaknesses to secure a victory in her match.

“She would go for big shots and risk a lot. From my mindset, as long as I kept doing a lot of balls, I knew it would eventually run out or it was going to get risky and run out, ”Coetzee said. “There were some ups and downs mentally because I was a little depressed at the start and didn’t have the best start, but I just fought and stayed mentally strong.”

Rookie Magdalena Hedrzak also won her two sets, with Victor providing commentary and advice between sets.

Jenna Dorian hits the ball during her singles match against Varya Zlotnik of the Santa Clara Broncos at the Matador Tennis Complex in Northridge, Calif. On Saturday, March 27, 2021.

The teammates gathered around the remaining matches, cheering on Victoria Santibanez Luna, Ana Isabel Fraile Toboso and Jenna Dorian, who continued to fight under the scorching sun.

Dorian’s long but satisfying game brought CSUN to victory over Santa Clara. She first beat her opponent in a 7-6 set, then dominated the second set with a 6-3 victory over Santa Clara’s Varya Zlotnik.

“There were difficult times. The first set was definitely a battle, then in the second set I picked up the momentum. It was a very long, hot and difficult game, but it went pretty well. said Dorian, happy with her first clinch for the Matadors.

Fraile Toboso and Santibanez Luna’s sets remained unfinished as CSUN’s 4-3 win earned them victory. Victor was hoping to keep his momentum going for the second game of their weekend back-to-back duel against the Aggies on Sunday afternoon.

“We have to build on the positive flow that we are going in the right direction and I hope we can bring it tomorrow with the same good energy,” said Victor. “We try to do our best every game. Today we were short of staff but we still got it and it feels good.

Jacquie Tan pumps her fist in celebration after scoring a point in her singles match against UC Davis Aggies’ Olive Manunupau at the Matador Tennis Complex in Northridge, Calif. On Sunday, March 28, 2021. Tan won in straight sets with scores of 6 -1 and 6-0.

The duel against Big West Conference competitor UC Davis proved successful in more ways than one. The match marked the return of Repina and Tan to compete in singles matches, where they each outscored their opponent.

After Turchak and Fraile Toboso claimed victory in their matches, Tan secured his own victory over UC Davis’ Olive Maunupau after taking control of the match. She initially dominated Maunupau 6-1 in the first set, then 6-0 in the second set.

Repina took Sunday’s victory by beating UC Davis senior Sara Tsukamoto with an identical score of 6-2 after the two sets.

The successful weekend for the Matadors’ women’s tennis team marked Victor’s 300th and 301st career victories in his 24 seasons with CSUN.

“This team makes training fun – it’s about integrity, discipline, mutual support and strong loyalty,” Victor said in a press release from CSUN Athletics.