Box Score
AZUSA -- Despite trailing after the doubles contests, Cal State L.A.'s women's tennis team roared back for one of its biggest wins in several years.
The Golden Eagles earned wins in the top four singles spots and beat Azusa Pacific, the No. 5-ranked team in the NAIA, 5-4, Monday afternoon at the Munson & Bavougian Tennis Complex. Cal State L.A. (7-12) recorded its second win over a nationally-ranked NAIA team in the past week. The Golden Eagles also beat Vanguard, ranked 10th in the country, last Thursday.
Azusa Pacific (17-4) carried a 12-1 home record into Monday's match and has posted clean sweeps in 10 of its 17 victories. It was Azusa Pacific's first regular-season, non-conference loss since 2009. The Cougars were 4-0 this season against NCAA Division II teams before Monday.
The match came down to three-set contests at No. 1 singles between Cal State L.A.'s Christie Lau and Azusa Pacific's Sheryl Bon-Bakalov and at No. 2 singles between Cal State L.A.'s Larn McShane and Azusa Pacific's Emily Harris. Lau rallied for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory over Bon-Bakalov to set the stage for the conclusion of McShane-Harris.
After dropping the second set in a tiebreaker, McShane bounced back to pull away for a 7-5, 6-7 (6-8), 6-2 victory to decide the match.
Cal State L.A. also got wins from Linda Majzlikova at No. 3 singles over Natalie McNall, 7-6 (7-1), 6-4 and from Jillian Sangria at No. 4 singles, 6-4, 6-1 over Kim Koetterheinrich.
The Golden Eagles also got a much-needed doubles point from Sangria and Joyce Librando, who outlasted McNall and Molly Ruby at the No. 3 spot, 8-6. That doubles point, combined with the four singles wins, gave Cal State L.A. the hard-fought victory.
Cal State L.A. 5, #5 Azusa Pacific 4
04/11/11 at Azusa, Calif. (Munson & Bavougian Tennis Complex)
| Singles competition |
| 1. LAU, Christie (CSULA) def. BON-BAKALOV, Sheryl (APU) 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 |
| 2. MCSHANE, Larn (CSULA) def. HARRIS, Emily (APU) 7-5, 6-7 (6-8), 6-2 |
| 3. MAJZLIKOVA, Linda (CSULA) def. McNALL, Natalie (APU) 7-6 (7-1), 6-4 |
| 4. SANGRIA, Jillian (CSULA) def. KOETTERHEINRICH, Kim (APU) 6-4, 6-1 |
| 5. HOFFEE, Leah (APU) def. SPASSOFF, Charlotte (CSULA) 6-2, 6-2 |
| 6. WETZIG, Casey (APU) def. LIBRANDO, Joyce (CSULA) 6-2, 6-2 |
| Doubles competition |
| 1. BON-BAKALOV, Sheryl/HARRIS, Emily (APU) def. LAU, Christie/MCSHANE, Larn (CSULA) 8-2 |
| 2. HOFFEE, Leah/WETZIG, Casey (APU) def. MAJZLIKOVA, Linda/SPASSOFF, Charlotte (CSULA) 8-4 |
| 3. LIBRANDO, Joyce/SANGRIA, Jillian (CSULA) def. McNALL, Natalie/RUBY, Molly (APU) 8-6 |
