LONG BEACH — UCSB women’s tennis made history Saturday, notching a 4-3 victory over Big West powerhouse Long Beach State, snapping the 49ers 31-match conference winning streak.
The Gauchos bounced back from a disappointing, 5-2, loss to Cal Poly at home on Thursday, to even their record at 1-1 in Big West Conference play.
Santa Barbara fell behind early after losing all three doubles matches on the day. Natalia Lozano and Jordan Dockendorf were narrowly defeated at No.1 doubles, losing via tiebreaker 8-7 (5).
In singles, the Gauchos displayed impressive depth, winning four of six matches, with losses at courts No.1 and No. 3. Jill Damion overcame a first set loss to defeat Jaklin Alawi 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 at court No. 2 and Jordan Dockendorf defeated Sarah Cantlay in straight sets 7-5, 6-2 at court No. 4. The two freshmen in the lineup came up huge in the clutch for the Gauchos as Paola Cos cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 victory at court No. 5 and Kiersten Meehan shook off a rough first set to defeat Rachel Manasse 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 at court No. 6.
With the victory Santa Barbara became the first Big West Conference team to beat Long Beach State in a regular season match in three years.
The Gauchos’ next match is Sunday, March 6 against UC Riverside beginning at 11 a.m. at the SRC Tennis Center in Riverside.
Complete results listed below:
DOUBLES
1.Armstrong/Dallara, LBSU def. Dockendorf/Lozano, UCSB 8-7 (5)
2.Alawi/Manasse, LBSU def. Damion/Meehan, UCSB 8-0
3.Cantlay/Luzar, LBSU def. Cos/Novak, UCSB 8-5
SINGLES
1.Anais Dallara, LBSU def. Natalia Lozano, UCSB 6-3, 6-3
2.Jill Damion, UCSB def. Jaklin Alawi, LBSU 3-6, 7-5, 6-4
3.Deborah Armstrong, LBSU def. Sofia Novak, UCSB 6-4, 2-6, 6-2
4.Jordan Dockendorf, UCSB def. Sarah Cantlay, LBSU 7-5, 6-2
5.Paola Cos, UCSB def. Anna Jeczmionka, LBSU 6-2, 6-2
6.Kiersten Meehan UCSB def. Rachel Manasse, LBSU 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
