LAS VEGAS, Nev. – San Diego State women's tennis recorded their fourth sweep of the season on Saturday morning, taking down San Jose State 4-0 at the Fertitta Tennis Complex on the campus of UNLV. The Aztecs earned the sweep even without the likes of two of their top three singles players.
The Aztecs (14-6, 7-2 MW) earned the doubles point in dramatic fashion on Saturday over the Spartans (9-11, 4-5 MW). After falling on court one, 6-0 SDSU rallied on courts two and three to earn the point. On court three Tamara Arnold and Andreea Velcea turned the tide back in the Aztecs favor and evened the doubles point with a 6-3 win on court three, their third consecutive win as a pairing. With the doubles point hanging in the balance Rania Azziz and Andjela Skrobonja battled with their San Jose State counterparts for each point. After forcing a tiebreaker at 6-6 in their match, the due outlasted the Spartans pairing and won their match in a 10-8 tiebreaker, giving the Aztecs a 1-0 lead heading into singles play.
In singles play, the Aztecs used a lineup that hadn't been used all season due to a few injuries. Arnold and Alicia Melosch competed on court one and two, Azziz and Cecile Morin were on courts three and four, while Andreea Velcea and Julia Jordan took part in the action on courts five and six. This match was the first time that Melosch had played at the second spot in the rotation all season, was the first time Azziz played on court three, and was the second singles action of the dual season for Julia Jordan.
The shuffled lineup didn't slow down the Aztecs, as each of the athletes on courts one, two and three earned sweeps in their singles matches. Melosch, in her first outing of the season at the number two spot in the order, took care of business first, winning her match 6-0, 6-3 and only dropped three points the entire outing to give SDSU a 2-0 lead. Arnold quickly followed suit, earning her fifth straight sets win of Mountain West play, and the Scarlet and Black took a 3-0 lead in the match with four courts remaining in action. Rania Azziz also showed out for the Aztecs, as she played her first match of the season in singles play on court three. The sophomore transfer from LSU played strongly, winning her first set 6-3, before completing the sweep for the Aztecs in the second set, winning it narrowly 7-5, and SDSU ran out 4-0 winners on Saturday.
With the win on Friday, the Aztecs improved to 14-6 this season, as well as 7-2 in Mountain West play. If San Diego State wins tomorrow, and results elsewhere go their way, the Aztecs will claim a share of the Mountain West regular season title.
Up Next: San Diego State finishes Mountain West regular season play tomorrow morning when they play Nevada in Las Vegas, Nevada. First serve is set for 9:30 a.m. PT.
No. 45 SDSU 4, San Jose State 0
Singles Competition
1. Tamara Arnold (SDSU) def. Carolina Millan (SJSU) 6-2, 6-3
2. Alicia Melosch (SDSU) def. Alba Pedrero Galindo (SJSU) 6-0, 6-3
3. Rania Azziz (SDSU) def. Irena Muradyan (SJSU) 6-3, 7-5
4. Cecile Morin (SDSU) vs. Rozalina Youseva (SJSU) 1-6, 5-5, unfinished
5. Andreea Velcea (SDSU) vs. Jovana Babic (SJSU) 3-6, 4-2, unfinished
6. Julia Jordan (SDSU) vs. Olaya Iglesias (SJSU) 6-7 (5-7), 2-2, unfinished
Doubles Competition
1. Carolina Millan/Alba Pedrero Galindo (SJSU) def. Alicia Melosch/Dariya Detkovskaya (SDSU) 6-0
2. Rania Azziz/Andjela Skrobonja (SDSU) def. Irena Muradyan/Rozalina Youseva (SJSU) 7-6 (10-8)
3. Tamara Arnold/Andreea Velcea (SDSU) def. Lara Marco Mas/Olaya Iglesias (SJSU) 6-3
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (2,1,3)