SURPRISE, ARIZ. -- Cal State LA's women's tennis team came up short against No. 22 Biola on Friday, but not before throwing a major scare into the nationally-ranked Eagles at the PacWest Conference Championships.
The Golden Eagles dropped the doubles point, but made a serious challenge in the singles contests before eventually falling by a 4-2 decision to Biola at the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Club. Cal State LA (7-10) will play in the match for seventh place on Saturday against Hawaii-Hilo to conclude tournament play.
The Golden Eagles picked up singles wins from
Berta Acero and
Savaughna Mayo and
Chelsey Ruiz was ahead in another match when Biola picked up its fourth point and ended the contest
Biola (21-5) had beaten the Golden Eagles, 7-0, early in the season and 5-2 earlier this month, but Friday's tournament match was much closer and ultimately could have gone either way.
Biola earned the doubles point when Brooke Fager and Alexandria Mann beat
Sakura Kurokawa and
Noa Davico at No. 2 doubles, 6-2, and Ines Diaz and Gaby Carvajal beat Mao and
Chelsey Ruiz at No. 3 doubles, 6-2.
The Eagles then took the first two singles contests with Colbeyshae Emery beat
Sarah Olmos at No. 1 singles, 6-1, 6-3 and Mary Brascia beating
Noa Davico at No. 2 singles, 6-2, 6-3.
Mayo kept the Golden Eagles in it with a big win at No. 6 singles over Diaz, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 and Acero picked up her 11th straight singles win with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Mann at No. 3 singles to make it 3-2.
The match ended, though, when Lilly McNeill edged Kurokawa in a three-set battle, 0-6, 6-2, 7-5.
The match concluded before Ruiz was able to finish her match at No. 5 singles, where she led. Ruiz roared back from a big deficit in the first set to win in a tiebreaker, 7-1, and she was out to a 3-2 advantage in the second set while seeking her sixth singles win in a row.
Cal State LA will conclude its season with the seventh-place match against Hawaii-Hilo on Saturday at 1 p.m.
