Daily Sundial
The Cal State Northridge women’s tennis team suffered their first loss of the season to the Cal Poly Mustangs at the Northridge Tennis Complex, Jan. 27. With the loss, the Matadors evened their record at 1-1.
Junior Sonya Kumar gave the Matadors a chance to pull out the victory with her come from behind singles win. After trailing 5-1 to Amanda Valera in the third set, Kumar came back to win 7-6 (7-3), evening the match at 3-3 and set the stage for sophomore Canna Furuta’s match to be the deciding factor.
Furuta lost 6-7 (2) to Amanda Waller in the first set but evened the match with a 7-5 victory in the second.
The third set was dominated early by Furuta, who led 4-1. Furuta, however, did not sustain her dominance due to cramping and eventually suffered a 6-4 defeat in the final set, giving Cal Poly a narrow 4-3 victory.
“It’s one of the most bitter losses I’ve ever been associated with,” Coach Gary Victor said. “Sonya (Kumar) had given us the opportunity to win by fighting off multiple match points. But overall I’m very proud of the team and their effort.”
Although the loss was upsetting, the team still has high hopes for the new season.
“We have the potential to win the conference,” Kumar said. “This year we’re a lot stronger mentally and physically.”
Victor offered a more vivid description of the game and the potential for the 2006 season. He also emphasized the loss should not be placed on one or a few players.
“It was a great opportunity for us to make an impact early on in the Big West,” Victor said. “I feel for Canna (Furuta) because no one works harder than her. ”
Earlier in the day, the Matadors took the doubles point with Furuta and sophomore Kanykey Koichumanova’s win. CSUN’s duo beat Cal Poly’s team of Waller and Danon Beatly 8-6. Sophomore Ana Matijasevic and senior YuYu Myinttun also won 9-8 (7-4) against Varela and Carol Erickson. Matijasevic also won her singles match in the third set 6-3 against Shiela Lewis.
On Jan. 24, the Matadors won their season opener 4-3 over Fresno Pacific. Although the top three singles players for CSUN lost their matches, the bottom three players were able to win in straight sets. Matijasevic beat Megan Hanner 6-3, 6-2, junior Kasia Krasinska beat Amandine Ferot 6-0, 6-1 and sophomore Maria Martinez swept Janelle Jackson 6-1, 6-0, which tied up singles play for the Matadors.
With singles play even, the deciding games would come from the doubles point. With the No. 1 CSUN doubles team losing, victories from the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles team were crucial for the Matadors to earn the doubles point and the overall victory. Furuta and Koichumanova beat Angelina Minova and Anna Karakaveya, 8-5. Krasinska and Martinez defeated Hanner and Megan Scott 8-5, giving the Matadors their first victory of the season.
“We set out a goal to win the Big West,” Victor said. “We still can do that. We need to get the next game.”
The Matadors next match will be against Saint Mary’s on Feb. 2 at 2 p.m. at the Northridge Tennis Complex.
Arthur Vong can be reached at sports_sunidal@csun.edu
