SAN DIEGO, Calif. – No. 7-seeded Utah State women's tennis (12-10, 2-3 MW) came out victorious in the opening round of the Mountain West Championship in San Diego, Calif., on Wednesday after defeating 10th-seeded Boise State (7-12, 0-5 MW), 4-3, at the Aztec Tennis Center. The win marks the fifth consecutive season the Aggies have won in the first round of the tournament.
"It was a really tough battle today against Boise State," said head coach Sean McInerney. "We made it pretty tough on ourselves at times, but kept battling and in the end, found a way to win. We are excited to be moving into the quarterfinals and get another shot at Air Force."
In doubles, Boise State won, 6-1, at the No. 1 spot against recent all-MW doubles duo of junior Hannah Jones and sophomore Alexandra Taylor. Freshman Annaliese County and junior Lucy Octave then won, 6-4, at the No. 3 spot, and the doubles point would come down to the second spot. The No. 2 spot entered into a tiebreaker between Boise State's Wiktoria Nosek and Emily Strande and USU freshman Sidnee Lavatai and sophomore Alexandra Pisareva, as the Aggies came away with a 7-6 (6) win to clinch the doubles point.
In singles, the Broncos tied up the match at the No. 3 spot, while Lavatai made it a 2-1 contest as she cruised to a 6-0, 7-5 victory at the No. 6 spot. After Boise State won at the No. 2 spot to tie the match, Octave edged out a 7-6 (3), 7-5 win at the No. 4 spot, making it 3-2 Aggies. Freshman Gabrielle Dekkers won her first set, 6-4, at the No. 5 spot, but would fall short in her final two sets, as Boise State tied the match at 3-3.
It all came down to the No. 1 court as recent all-MW singles recipients in USU's Pisareva and Boise State sophomore Wilhelmina Palmer were entering the match-deciding third set. The first set went to Palmer, as she recorded a 6-2 win, forcing Pisareva to win her final two sets. Pisareva earned a 6-2 win of her own at the second set, and clinched the victory for the Aggies in the third set, 6-4.
Utah State takes on No. 2-seeded Air Force (21-2, 4-1 MW) in the quarterfinals on Thursday, April 25, at 3 p.m. (MT). The Aggies and Falcons faced each other in the first week of conference play two weeks ago, as Air Force blanked USU, 4-0. Air Force had two players earn all-Mountain West singles honors in junior TJ Fumagalli and freshman Kristin Kerrigan, as Fumagalli went 16-5 during the dual match season at the No. 1 spot. The duo earned all-Mountain West as a doubles tandem and are ranked No. 73 in doubles in the nation.
Fans can follow USU's women's tennis team on Twitter @USUWomensTennis, on Facebook at UtahStateWomensTennis or on Instagram @USUWomensTennis. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter at @USUAthletics, on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics or on Instagram at @USUAthletics.
RESULTS
Utah State 4, Boise State 3
Doubles
1. Lilian Poling/Wilhelmina Palmer (BSU) def. Hannah Jones/Alexandra Taylor (USU) 6-1
2. Sidnee Lavatai/Alexandra Pisareva (USU) def. Wiktoria Nosek/Emily Strande (BSU) 7-6 (8-6)
3. Annaliese County/Lucy Octave (USU) def. Vanessa Timm/Frankie Trella (BSU) 6-4
Singles
1. Alexandra Pisareva (USU) def. Wilhelmina Palmer (BSU) 2-6, 6-2, 6-4
2. Lilian Poling (BSU) def. Hannah Jones (USU) 6-2, 0-6, 7-5
3. Emily Strande (BSU) def. Annaliese County (USU) 6-3, 6-3
4. Lucy Octave (USU) def. Vanessa Timm (BSU) 7-6 (7-3), 7-5
5. Wiktoria Nosek (BSU) def. Gabrielle Dekkers (USU) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
6. Sidnee Lavatai (USU) def. Sydnie Binder (BSU) 6-0, 7-5
Match Notes:
Boise State 7-12 (0-5 MW)
Utah State 12-10 (2-3 MW)
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (3,6,2,4,5,1)
-USU-
