April 8, 2011

MOSCOW, Idaho -- - Utah State women's tennis would not be denied Friday afternoon in a 5-2 victory over West Coast Conference opponent Gonzaga in a neutral-site match. USU improves to 9-5 overall and will be looking to capture its first Western Athletic Conference win of the season on Saturday at Idaho.

The Aggies gained the early upper hand over the Bulldogs by sweeping all three doubles matches. Leading the charge for Utah State in the No. 1 position was senior Hailey Swenson and junior partner Romina Nedakovic as the tandem fought hard for an 8-5 victory that set the tone for the rest of the match. Sophomore Jacyln West and junior Kristina Voytsekhovich secured an 8-4 win in the second spot while senior Taylor Perry and junior Julie Tukuafu ensured the doubles sweep with an 8-3 win in the third slot.

Utah State kept the pressure on Gonzaga in singles play by winning two of the opening three matches. In the No. 2 position was Swenson, who dismissed GU's Prue Teitzel in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2. USU solidified it's victory as Voytsekhovich won in straight sets in the third spot, 6-4, 7-6, followed with another straight set victory in the No. 4 position by Romina Nedakovic, 6-4, 6-4.

The highlight of the afternoon came in the fifth position as Tukuafu was locked in a shoot out with GU's Sophie Lantta. Tukuafu was put in an early hole after dropping the back and forth opening set to Lantta, 7-6. The relentlessness of both competitors continued in the second set, as the two exchanged point for point late into the set, before Tukuafu escaped with a 7-5 win that forced a super tiebreaker third set. In the tie-break, Tukuafu established her will early and never slowed as she powered her way to a 10-4 third set victory to give the Aggies their fifth point of the contest.

Utah State will look to carry the momentum gained in Friday's match into Saturday's critical showdown with WAC rival Idaho as USU seeks its first conference win of the season. Idaho enters Saturday's action with an 8-3 record and a 1-1 WAC mark. The match is set to start at 10:30 a.m. (MT).

Utah State 5, Gonzaga 2(Played at: The University of Idaho-Moscow, Idaho)
Singles competition1. Rika Mehndiratta (GU) def. Jaclyn West (USU) 6-3, 5-7, 7-52. Hailey Swenson (USU) def. Prue Teitzel (GU) 6-3, 6-23. Kristina Voytsekhovich (USU) def. Kristina Zauere (GU) 6-4, 7-64. Romina Nedakovic (USU) def. Clare Dodge (GU) 6-4, 6-45. Julie Tukuafu (USU) def. Sophie Lantta (GU) 6-7, 7-5, 10-46. Britta Stine (GU) def. Taylor Perry (USU) 6-0, 6-2
Doubles competition1. Nedakovic/Swenson (USU) def. Mehndiratta/Farmer (GU) 8-52. West/Voytsekhovich (USU) def. Zauere/Dodge (GU) 8-43. Perry/Tukuafu (USU) def. Lantta/Tabb (GU) 8-3