WTEN | Strong Start Propels SMC To Win Over Portland
3/29/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
MORAGA, Calif. -- Strong doubles play got the Saint Mary's women's tennis team started and the Gaels only got better from there as they beat Portland 7-0 at Korth Tennis Complex for their second West Coast Conference win of the season.
With the victory, No. 41-ranked Saint Mary's improves to 7-6 overall and 2-1 in WCC competition. Portland falls to 5-3 overall and 1-1 in conference.
Saint Mary's got off on the right foot Friday thanks to a pair of good wins in doubles. Danielle Flores and Jade Frampton got things started, beating Maja Mladenovic and Emily Gould 8-2 for a win at No. 2. Jamie Pawid and Catherine Leduc weren't far behind, earning an 8-4 win over Gabrielle Gorence and Marina Reimers to clinch the point for the Gaels.
The good play displayed in doubles carried over into singles. Leduc cruised to a win at No. 4, beating Saroop Dhatt 6-1, 6-0 to put Saint Mary's up 2-0. Parminder Kaur wasn't far behind, beating Reimers 6-0, 6-2 at No. 6 to leave the Gaels within one of clinching the match.
That point came from the top spot in the lineup as Jenny Jullien, ranked No. 8 in the country in the latest ITA singles rankings, beat Mladenovic 6-1, 6-2 to give the Gaels the match win. Jade Frampton added a fifth point with a 6-0, 7-6 (4) win over Gould at No. 5 and all that remained were two three-set matches at No. 2 and 3.
At No. 2, Flores took the early lead with a 6-3 win in the first, but Sophie Van Den Aarssen forced a decisive third set with a 6-3 win of her own in the second. Flores prevailed in the super-tiebreaker though, winning 10-4 to make it 6-0 SMC.
Pawid finished the day off, beating Jelena Lazarevic 6-0, 4-6, 1-0 (10-6) to provide the seventh point for the Gaels. Pawid is also nationally ranked, checking in at No. 76 in this week's rankings.
Saint Mary's will be back in action Saturday at 11 a.m. against Gonzaga, weather permitting. The Gaels will also host San Francisco next Wednesday at 2 p.m.
BSB | Saint Mary's vs. Bakersfield Highlights, 4-8-26
Wednesday, April 08
BSB | Saint Mary's at UC Davis Highlights, 4-6-26
Monday, April 06
SB | Saint Mary's at Stanford Highlights, 4-4-26
Saturday, April 04
BSB | Saint Mary's vs. Pacific Highlights, 4-4-26
Saturday, April 04
