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LOS ANGELES — The Westmont women’s tennis team was back in action on Friday afternoon, when they traveled south to take on the Cal State LA Golden Eagles.
The Golden Eagles (1-0) defeated the Warriors (0-2) 6-1 in a match that gave Westmont an opportunity to challenge themselves against an NCAA Div. II opponent.
In doubles, on court three, Francesca Aguirre and Sophia Osotvany made quick work of L.A.’s Courtlyn Lam and Chelsey Ruiz, defeating the Golden Eagles 6-1. Then on court one, Sakura Kurokawa and Sarah Olmos tied things up for the Golden Eagles when they defeated Rachal Jackson and Emily Peterson 6-3.
Rounding out doubles play, Westmont’s Christine Hemry and Olivia Madarang gave LA’s Berta Acero and Noa Davico everything they could handle. However, the Golden Eagles prevailed 7-6 to defeat the Warriors in doubles and earn the first point of the day.
“Overall, I was pleased with our performance today,” said Westmont associate head coach Cade Pierson. “Doubles was a battle up until the end. Line three played focused tennis and executed the plan they committed to really well. The score reflects how steadily they showed up and took care of business.
“I’m really happy with how line two played and I’m bummed they didn’t get the win in the end. However, with how they’re playing and how they’re building confidence, I’m confident that in the future these types of matches will fall in their favor.”
The Golden Eagles proceeded to win five of the six singles matches, including the first five to finish. First, on court six, Taylor Barnes defeated Westmont’s Kaley Houshmand 6-1, 6-3. Court six’s finish was then followed up by Olmos on court two, who came away with a 6-3, 6-0 victory at the hands of Peterson.
Acero bested Madarang 6-3, 6-2 on court four, and Kurokawa came out victorious against Hemry on court three by a score of 6-4, 6-1.
The two best fights put up by the Warriors ended up being the final two matches to conclude on Friday. On court five, Ostovany nearly forced a tie-breaker against Ruiz, but ultimately the Golden Eagle prevailed 6-4, 7-6.
On court one, Jackson concluded the day for the Warriors by earning the club their first point in two matches this season.
After dropping the first set 7-6, Jackson came back to defeat Davico 6-4 to force a tie-breaker. Then, after initially falling behind 6-1, Jackson stormed back to win it 10-7 and erase the zero next to Westmont’s name in the box score.
“In regards to singles, I’m satisfied with the fight that our team carried over from doubles,” reflected Pierson. “There’s a saying that goes ‘you win or you learn, but you never really lose’. Contrary to the saying, I think you can roll over and lose without learning from a match. Lucky for me as a coach, our team did a lot of learning today.
“Specifically, I’m really proud of Rachal’s win today. There was a moment after she lost the first set that she could have easily given in to frustration. Instead, she chose to focus on the things she could control. I was proud to see her push through and earn the win in this one.”
Jacob Norling is the sports information assistant at Westmont College.email: sports@newspress.com
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