The Matadors (4-1, 2-0 Big West) bounced back from a tough loss earlier in the week with a sweep of the UC Riverside Highlanders (0-7, 0-1 Big West) Saturday at the Matador Tennis Complex.
After winning the doubles point at Loyola Marymount Thursday, the Matadors dropped four of six singles matchups to lose the singles point and drop the match 4-3 for their first loss of the season. CSUN came into Saturday’s match unfazed, winning every single matchup.
“I thought we did what we needed to do, we took care of business,” said head coach Gary Victor. “They had some injuries and that made them a bit weaker than we’d expected. We did go out there and play hard, ended with a good win.”
The top three doubles pairs dominated their Riverside counterparts, as freshman Vivian Lin and junior Criss Rodriguez only dropped two games in their No. 1 8-2 doubles win.
No Matador dropped more than three games in a singles match. Sophomore Jessica Warren and freshman Scout Shutter didn’t drop a game in their No. 4 and No. 6 singles draws, respectively.
Victor was pleased with Shutter’s performance, the first victory of her Matador career.
“She’s one of those kids that you see first at practice and last to leave,” Victor said. “She’s in that group of exceptional workers.”
With the sweep of the Highlanders, the freshmen trio of Mickey Hsu, Lin and Kristen Poei are now 12-3 on the season.
The Matadors will return to the court on Friday, as they host the Long Beach State 49ers (6-1, 3-0 Big West) in a battle of teams tied for first place.
