LOS ANGELES – San Diego State women’s tennis traveled up to Los Angeles for its second match of the spring season, taking on No. 17 UCLA on Sunday afternoon. The Aztecs won two matches in singles competition, led by Gloria Alogo and Teja Tirunelveli, but ultimately fell 5-2 to the 17th-ranked Bruins.
San Diego State moves to 1-1 on the season while UCLA improves to 1-0.
The Bruins took an early lead after capturing the doubles point with victories on courts one and three. Jayna Clemens and Ninon Martinache gave the Aztecs an advantage in doubles play with a 6-3 win over Ahmani Guichard and Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer on the second court. Olivia Center and Kate Fakih evened the score after taking court one 6-4 over No. 23 Vessa Turley and Jo-Yee Chan. Kayla Chung and Mayu Crossley were able to clinch the point for the Bruins on court three, where Gloria Alogo and Liisa Varul were bested 6-4.
UCLA won four straight matches in singles competition, earning victories on courts one, two, three and five. In the third spot, Clemens fell 6-2, 6-1 to No. 75 Fakih. Martinache came up short 6-3, 6-2 against Crossley on court two, while Chan was tripped up 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 by Lutkemeyer on the top court and Vesa Gjinaj was downed 6-1, 6-4 by Center in the fifth spot.
The teams chose to play the match through, giving the Aztecs an opportunity to put points on the board. After taking her first set 6-4, Alogo dropped the second set 4-6 to Guichard before battling to a 10-7 tiebreak win on court four. Teja Tirunelveli added another point for San Diego State after rallying from behind to take down Chung 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, [10-4].
Next up, the Aztecs head to Athens, Ga. for ITA Kickoff Weekend, where they will first face Washington Sate on Jan. 24.
Doubles
1. Olivia Center/Kate Fakih (UCLA) def. #23 Jo-Yee Chan/Vessa Turley (SDSU) 6-4
2. Jayna Clemens/Ninon Martinache (SDSU) def. Ahmani Guichard/A. Lutkemeyer (UCLA) 6-3
3. Kayla Chung/Mayu Crossley (UCLA) def. Gloria Alogo/Liisa Varul (SDSU) 6-4
Singles
1. A. Lutkemeyer (UCLA) def. #88 Jo-Yee Chan (SDSU) 3-6, 6-1, 6-1
2. Mayu Crossley (UCLA) def. Ninon Martinache (SDSU) 6-3, 6-2
3. #75 Kate Fakih (UCLA) def. Jayna Clemens (SDSU) 6-2, 6-1
4. Gloria Alogo (SDSU) def. Ahmani Guichard (UCLA) 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10-7)
5. Olivia Center (UCLA) def. Vesa Gjinaj (SDSU) 6-1, 6-4
6. Teja Tirunelveli (SDSU) def. Kayla Chung (UCLA) 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 1-0 (10-4)