UC Irvine
Portland State
'Eaters Top Portland State in 4-3 Thriller
February 20, 2017 | Women's Tennis
VANCOUVER, Wash. – The UC Irvine women's tennis team ended a tough three-match road stretch with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Portland State Monday at Club Green Meadows in Vancouver, Wash.
The win was the Anteaters' first of the season and of interim head coach Elizabeth Ferris' career.
With the dual tied at 3-3, it all came down to court two, where freshman Stephanie Nguyen and the Vikings' Tracy Dong were locked in a tight battle. Nguyen had edged Dong in a first-set tiebreaker before coming up short in the second. The San Jose, Calif., native then dug deep as she finished off the nearly three-hour match with a 7-6 (9-7), 2-6, 6-4 victory.
"College tennis is not about who plays the most perfect or prettiest game," Ferris said. "It is not about what you were ranked in juniors or how much talent you have. Matches come down to grit, discipline, 100 percent belief, relentlessly running balls down and playing smart. It is about being committed to doing whatever it takes.
"We found ways to dig that last ball out, have the guts to execute the necessary tactics and stay positive through all the adversity. We need to continue to broaden our comfort zones, and adapt when our "A" games aren't working so we can mentally and emotionally push through. This is the first win for the team, first win for myself as a head coach and first for assistant coach Desiree (Tran) as well. It feels great, we earned it!"
After PSU won the doubles point, the two teams entered a seesaw battle in singles play. UCI claimed the first point as freshman Constance Branstine defeated Siena Peri, 7-5, retired, at No. 1. The Vikings answered at No. 4, before senior Cassidy Branstine recorded her first dual-match singles win of the season with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Georgia Dobell at No. 3.
Portland State (0-5) regained a 3-2 edge when Taylor Rees outlasted freshman Jacqueline Tsodikova, 6-2, 7-5, at No. 5. With the team dual on the line, junior Hali Dickson found herself down 5-3 in the second set, but she stepped up to the challenge as she stormed back for the 6-3, 7-5 match-tying victory. That allowed Nguyen to clinch at the No. 2 position.
The Anteaters won one of the three doubles matches as Dickson teamed up with junior Ashlynn Hall to dispatch Dobell/Sabina-Elena Preda, 6-3.
UC Irvine (1-7) will have a well-deserved break before returning to competition on Sunday, Feb. 26, when it welcomes San Jose State to Anteater Tennis Stadium for an 11 a.m. match.
UC Irvine 4, Portland State 3
Singles
1. Constance Branstine (UCI) def. Siena Peri (PSU): 7-5, retired
2. Stephanie Nguyen (UCI) def. Tracy Dong (PSU): 7-6 (9-7), 2-6, 6-4
3. Cassidy Branstine (UCI) def. Georgia Dobell (PSU): 6-3, 6-2
4. Sally Partington (PSU) def. Ashlynn Hall (UCI): 6-0, 6-4
5. Taylor Rees (PSU) def. Jacqueline Tsodikova (UCI): 6-2, 7-5
6. Hali Dickson (UCI) def. Ashley Knecht (PSU): 6-3, 7-5
Order of finish: 1, 4, 3, 5, 6, 2*
Doubles
1. Peri/Dong (PSU) def. Con. Branstine/Stephanie Hazell (UCI): 7-5
2. Partington/Rees (PSU) def. Cas. Branstine/Nguyen (UCI): 6-4
3. Dickson/Hall (UCI) def. Dobell/Preda (PSU): 6-3
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1*
Players Mentioned
