LOGAN, Utah – Utah State women's tennis rallied to win its final three singles matches and post a come-from-behind 4-3 victory against Santa Clara here at the Sports Academy & Racquet Club on Saturday.
 
Head Coach Veronika Golanova
"It was a phenomenal match, and Santa Clara is such a good team. We had a plan, and I am proud of the team for executing everything that we had talked about the whole week. Winning the doubles point was huge for us. Playing with four freshmen in the lineup is adventurous, but they are such a tough group. It was an amazing atmosphere today and a really good match."
 
Doubles
Utah State won the doubles point as freshmen Natalie Paterova and Maria Paula Ramos Garcia notched a 6-4 win at the third position, while senior Indya Nespor and junior Cielo Tapia-Cruz recorded a 6-2 win at the second position. Junior Olivia Halvorsen and freshman Kylee Sperry had their match at the first position left unfinished as the duo trailed 6-5.
 
Singles
Santa Clara won the first three singles matches to take a 3-1 lead. At the No. 1 spot, Halvorsen lost in straight sets (6-1, 6-1). At the No. 3 spot, freshman Ana Sabikova lost in straight sets (7-5, 6-1). At the No. 4 spot, Paterova lost in three sets (6-2, 2-6, 1-6).
 
Utah State then rallied to win the final three matches for the come-from-behind victory. At the No. 2 spot, Nespor rallied for a three-set win (4-6, 6-1, 7-5). At the No. 5 spot, Ramos Garcia followed with a straight sets victory (6-1, 6-4). Sperry then clinched the match for the Aggies at the No. 6 spot with a three sets win (4-6, 6-1, 6-2).
 
Freshman Kylee Sperry
"This is my favorite environment. I love playing here and having my team around me. Everyone fought for their match today. I saw the score was 3-3 and I had to close it out."
 
Next Up
Utah State returns to the court on Friday, Feb. 21, as it plays at BYU at noon.
 
Follow Along
Fans can follow USU's women's tennis team on Twitter @USUWomensTennis, on Facebook at /UtahStateWomensTennis or on Instagram at USUWomensTennis. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter, @USUAthletics, Facebook at /USUAthletics and on Instagram, @USUAthletics.
 
Utah State vs. Santa Clara
February 15, 2025
Sports Academy & Racquet Club
Logan, Utah
 
Results
Utah State 4, Santa Clara 3
 
Doubles
1. Olivia Halvorsen/Kylee Sperry (USU) vs. Velizara Fileva/Jillian Roa (SC) 5-6, unfinished
2. Indya Nespor/Cielo Tapia-Cruz (USU) def. Daniella Dimitrova/Tian Yu Dong (SC) 6-2
3. Natalie Paterova/ Maria Paula Ramos Garcia (USU) def. Kacey Feng/Anna Rahman (SC) 6-4
 
Singles
1. Daniella Dimitrova (SC) def. Olivia Halvorsen (USU) 6-1, 6-1
2. Indya Nespor (USU) def. Tian Yu Dong (SC) 4-6, 6-1, 7-5
3. Velizara Fileva (SC) def. Ana Sabikova (USU) 7-5, 6-1
4. Jillian Roa (SC) def. Natalie Paterova (USU) 2-6, 6-2, 6-1
5. Maria Paula Ramos Garcia (USU) def. Anna Rahman (SC) 6-1, 6-5
6. Kylee Sperry (USU) def. Juliette Krumholz (SC) 4-6, 6-1, 6-2
 
Match Notes
Order of Finish: Doubles (3, 2); Singles (1, 3, 4, 2, 5, 6)
Utah State (2-3, 0-0 MW)
Santa Clara (5-2, 0-0 WCC)