IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's tennis team put up an impressive fight but saw its comeback effort fall just short in a 4-3 setback to Sacramento State Saturday afternoon at Anteater Tennis Stadium.
 
It was UCI's first loss of the season as it fell to 3-1, while the Hornets improved to 4-2.
 
Sac State started doubles action with a win at No. 3, but Alyssia Fossorier and Jenna Schlatter quickly evened it up with a 6-1 victory over Weronika Ejsmont/Best Lee at the second position. Carolyna Fowler and Emily Fowler then dispatched the Hornets' No. 1 pairing of Mayya Gorbunova/Tsveti Yotova, 6-3, to secure the point for the 'Eaters.
 
Sacramento State took the momentum in singles, going up 3-1 with wins at the top three spots in the lineup. The Anteaters refused to go down quietly starting with Haily Huynh, who upended Lee, 6-3, 6-2, at No. 5. Amanda Perez, who was trailing 4-2 in the second set, finished strong for a 7-6 (9-7), 6-4 triumph over Julia Moraes at the fourth spot to knot the team score at 3-3.
 
All eyes then turned to court six where Larissa Teramura and Grace McSkimming were locked in a back-and-forth battle. Teramura dropped the first set, 4-6, but raced out to an early lead in the second. She fought off a late surge from McSkimming to win in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (4). After an injury early in the third frame, Teramura was unable to fully recover with Sac State pulling out the 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-0 match-clinching win.

"Great college match today," said head coach Elizabeth Fowler Smith. "Everyone gave all they had on each side. The crowd, although small but vocal, along with the wind and a tough Sac St. team, made for a very tough match. Great wins at 1 & 2 doubles. They didn't do anything big, just good basics and energy."

"Haily got off the court in a hurry because she played focused and confidentially. Her win gave us a chance to hang in the match. Amanda was up next and she had to fight back from 2-5 and multiple set points down in the first and then down 2-4 in the second set. She really believed in the coaching, but most importantly, she believed in herself. Her win tied us up at 3-3. Larissa battled a tough opponent that jumped out early 6-4. Larissa had a sizable lead in the second but that opponent fought back to  6-6. Larissa did great to steal it and force a third set. That third set, on paper, didn't seem close, but it was. She battled hard, and I'm proud of her and the whole team. We are bummed but are hungry for more challenges."

SINGLES
1. Mayya Gorbunova (SAC) def. Jenna Schlatter (UCI) 6-1, 6-3
2. Maddy Ferreros (SAC) def. Alyssia Fossorier (UCI) 6-2, 6-3
3. Tsveti Yotova (SAC) def. Asha Gidwani (UCI) 6-3, 6-4
4. Amanda Perez (UCI) def. Julia Moraes (SAC) 7-6 (9-7), 6-4
5. Haily Huynh (UCI) def. Best Lee (SAC) 6-3, 6-2
6. Grace McSkimming (SAC) def. Larissa Teramura (UCI) 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-0

DOUBLES
1. Carolyna Fowler/Emily Folwer (UCI) def. Mayya Gorbunova/Tsveti Yotova (SAC) 6-3
2. Alyssia Fossorier/Jenna Schlatter (UCI) def. Weronika Ejsmont/Best Lee (SAC) 6-1
3. Maddy Ferreros/Alexis Johnson (SAC) def. Asha Gidwani/Amanda Perez (UCI) 6-1

WHAT THE PLAYERS HAD TO SAY:
"I am not only proud of myself but also my teammates for fighting so hard. We are a young team, so being able to compete in a close match is extraordinary. Even though we didn't get the end result we wanted, I am so excited to see what this team can do and I know we can do great things in the future. Go Eaters!" -Haily Huynh
 
"I am very proud of the performance of myself and the team. We all maintained a high energy the whole match, whether it was the players on the court or the teammates cheering on the sidelines. I am also proud of the way I competed in my singles match. Despite starting slow and not getting the doubles win, I was able to win my singles match. Even after having being down a couple of set points and being down in both sets, I was able to fight and ultimately come up with the win. I am so excited to keep this energy with the team for our next matches!  Zot zot zot!" -Amanda Perez

"I am extremely proud of the team today. I think everyone played exceptionally and put their hearts out on the court today. In doubles, Emily and I stuck to our game plan and we executed a good win. I'm so excited for next weekend when we play our first conference opponent! Go Eaters!!" -Carolyna Fowler
 
UP NEXT
UCI will return to action on Sunday Feb. 19 to start conference action against UC Davis.