University of San Francisco Athletics

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – It took a come-from-behind effort for the San Francisco women's tennis team to defeat Sacramento State 4-3 at Rio Del Oro Racquet Club Saturday.

"We fought really hard," said head coach Hilary Somers. "This was a good display of toughness for our team as we continue our great start to the season."

After taking a 6-3 win at the No. 2 doubles position, the duo of Marina Nikolic and Andrea Ka put USF on top to start the doubles competition. However, the Dons' other two pairings dropped close matches as the Hornets netted an early 1-0 lead in the match. Sacramento State built the match lead to 3-0 before Ka, a sophomore from Paris, France, came to the rescue at No. 3 singles to defeat Alina Soltanici 6-3, 6-2 to give USF its first point on the day.

Then, Nikolic gutted out a 6-3, 1-6, 1-0 (13-11) victory over Daria Savchenko to edge the Dons closer. No. 116 Thyra Taune, a freshman from Stockholm, Sweden, defeated Jennifer Nguyen 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10-4) to knot the match at three apiece.

The balance of the match rested on the day's final finishers from the No. 2 position as USF's Sofia Holmberg battled Deimante Bulatovaita. It took tiebreaks in each set, but Holmberg, a sophomore from Stockholm, Sweden, went on to beat the Sacramento State freshman 7-6 (4), 7-6 (6) to close the day with a hard-fought USF victory.

Dons move to 2-0 on the year, while the Hornets drop its spring opener to stand at 0-1. The victory marks the first time USF has defeated Sacramento State in dual match play.

USF is slated to compete in two matches this weekend, facing Cal Poly at 11 a.m. Friday, before heading to UC Santa Barbara for a Saturday meeting with the Gauchos.
 

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USF 4, Sacramento State 3
Jan. 18, 2014 | Rio Del Oro RC | Sacramento, Calif.
 
Singles | Order of finish: 5, 6, 3, 4, 1, 2
No. 1 – #116 Thyra Taune (USF) def. Jennifer Nguyen (SAC); 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10-4)
No. 2 – Sofia Holmberg (USF) def. Deimante Bulatovaita (SAC); 7-6 (4), 7-6 (6)
No. 3 – Andrea Ka (USF) def. Alina Soltanici (SAC); 6-3, 6-2
No. 4 – Marina Nikolic (USF) def. Daria Savchenko (SAC); 6-3, 1-6, 1-0 (13-11)
No. 5 – Sophie Lohscheidt (SAC) def. Genevieve McCloskey (USF); 6-1, 6-4
No. 6 – Olivia Boija (SAC) def. Brooke Irish (USF); 6-3, 7-5
 
Doubles | Order of finish: 2, 1, 3
No. 1 – Bulatovaite/Savchenko (SAC) def. Holmberg/Taune (USF); 7-5
No. 2 – Nikolic/Ka (USF) def. Lohscheidt/Boija (SAC); 6-3
No. 3 – Knoebl/Soltanici (SAC) def. McCloskey/Irish (USF); 7-6 (5)