HOUSTON -- In a marathon dual match the lasted more than four and a half hours and came down to a third-set tiebreak, 49th-ranked Sacramento State held 75th-ranked, Rice in a 4-3 decision on Friday at the Jake Hess Tennis Stadium.
The Hornets (8-4) scored wins at one and two doubles to take the first point of the day. The tandem of Margarita Karnaukhova and Anastassia Lyssenko defeated Rice’s Blair DiSesa and Alanna Rodgers, 8-2 at the No. 1 spot, while freshmen Joyce Martinez Gutierrez and Luba Schifris scored an 8-4 victory over Kimberley Patenaude and Medeja Egic at the No. 2 spot.
Karnaukhova needed three sets to defeat 54th-ranked DiSesa at the No. 1 spot, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Martinez Gutierrez was successful at the No. 3 spot, winning her fifth match of the year, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7) over Rodgers. Freshman Svetlana Pimenova then defeated Emily Braid, 6-2, 6-1 for the Hornets’ fourth point.
Sacramento State has won six of its last seven and will next travel to play Pepperdine on Sunday in Malibu.
Results
No. 49 Sacramento State 4, No. 75 Rice 3
Doubles
1. Karnaukhova/Lyssenko (SAC) def. DiSesa/Rodgers (RU), 8-2
2. Schifris/Martinez Gutierrez (SAC) def. Kimberley Patenaude /Egic (RU), 8-4
3. Lee/Dao (RU) def. Helland/Pimenova (CSUS), 8-5
Singles
1. Margarita Karnaukhova (SAC) def. No. 54 Blair DiSesa (RU), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
2. Christine Dao (RU) def. Luba Schifris (SAC), 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-4
3. Joyce Martinez Gutierrez (SAC) def. Alanna Rodgers (RU), 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7)
4. Tiffany Lee (RU) def. Karina Jarlkaganova (SAC), 6-4, 6-2
5. Medeja Egic (RU) def. Cecila Helland (SAC), 6-0, 6-0
6. Svetlana Pimenova (SAC) def. Emily Braid (RU), 6-2, 6-1
