LOS ANGELES -- Cal State LA's women's tennis team recorded a win for the ages Thursday in a thrilling match against No. 5 Hawaii Pacific.

Trailing 4-2 with three singles matches left on the court, the Golden Eagles swept them all and stunned the Sharks, 5-4, at the Cal State LA Tennis Complex. No. 29 Cal State LA (10-4) won its fourth straight match and posted its biggest win in years. Hawaii Pacific (8-3) had won its previous four matches, all against teams ranked in the national top-25, by 5-4 decisions. The Golden Eagles turned the tables on the Sharks on Thursday, though, with a gutty performance that included a pair of big wins in the doubles contests and then three big wins in singles.

"This team plays with so much heart," Cal State LA head coach Sandy Kriezel said. "This is such a big win for us. All of their hard work is paying off."

For the second straight match, Iris Raileanu, playing at No. 4 singles, delivered the final point. After losing a tight first-set tiebreaker, Raileanu rallied for a 6-7, 6-2, 6-3 win over Hawaii Pacific's Barbora Kijasova to give the Golden Eagles the victory. After Raileanu finished the match, the Golden Eagles erupted into a jubilant celebration on the courts after the tremendous battle. The match lasted just more than four-and-a-half hours.

Raileanu, who is the reigning PacWest Conference Player of the Week, also had the deciding win in a 5-4 victory over Sonoma State on Tuesday. She is now 11-1 in dual matches this season.

The two wins in doubles were huge for the Golden Eagles. Nozomi Matsuoka and Kayleigh Hall were tremendous in an 8-3 win at No. 1 doubles, while Elizaveta Sokolova and Luciana Di Laura were dominant in an 8-0 win at No. 3 doubles.

Leading 2-1 heading into the singles, Cal State LA dropped the first three matches to be decided in straight sets, leaving the three players still on the court for the Golden Eagles with no room for error.

Isabella Lopez rallied from a 5-1 deficit in the opening set of a 7-6, 6-1 win over Monica Greene at No. 6 singles and Di Laura posted a 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 5 singles over Leticia dos Santos to even the match. The Lopez and Di Laura matches ended within moments of each other, knotting the team score at 4-4 and turning all eyes to the Raileanu and Kijasova decider.

It was an outstanding match with both players hitting winners. After dropping the first-set tiebreaker, Raileanu regrouped and won the second set, 6-2. She then broke out to a 5-1 lead in the third set and, after Kijasova staved off three match points and climbed back to within 5-3, closed out the match for the Golden Eagles.

It was a huge victory for Cal State LA, which was rated No. 8 in the region in the most recent ITA rankings. Hawaii Pacific was second in the region.

Cal State LA will return to action on Saturday with another home match against No. 22 Academy of Art.

#29 Cal State LA 5, #5 Hawaii Pacific 4
Mar 16, 2017 at Los Angeles, Calif.

Singles competition

1. Nicole Hoynaski (HPU) def. Nozomi Matsuoka (LA) 6-2, 6-2

2. Lara Meccico (HPU) def. Kayleigh Hall (LA) 6-1, 6-0

3. Oceane Adam (HPU) def. Elizaveta Sokolova (LA) 6-2, 6-0

4. Iris Raileanu (LA) def. Barbora Kijasova (HPU) 6-7, 6-2, 6-3

5. Luciana Di Laura (LA) def. Leticia dos Santos (HPU) 6-3, 6-1

6. Isabella Lopez (LA) def. Monica Greene (HPU) 7-6, 6-1

 

Doubles competition

1. Nozomi Matsuoka/Kayleigh Hall (LA) def. Lara Meccico/Barbora Kijasova (HPU) 8-3

2. Nicole Hoynaski/Oceane Adam (HPU) def. Iris Raileanu/Isabella Lopez (LA) 8-3

3. Elizaveta Sokolova/Luciana Di Laura (LA) def. Leticia dos Santos/Monica Greene (HPU) 8-0

Match Notes

Hawaii Pacific 8-3; National ranking #5

Cal State LA 10-4; National ranking #29

Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (2,3,1,6,5,4)