SPOKANE, Wash. – Portland women’s tennis lost a 4-3 heartbreaker in West Coast Conference action to the Gonzaga Bulldogs Saturday afternoon at Stevens Center. The Pilots fall to 7-7 on the season, while the Bulldogs improve to 7-8 overall.
Portland grabbed the doubles point in convincing fashion after Alaia Rubio Perez and Rimona Rouf cruised 6-1 at No. 3 and Aleksandra Dimitrijevic and Meagan Pearson clinched with a 6-3 win at No. 2.
Singles looked to be going the Pilots’ way early as Rouf defeated Caroline Wernli 6-1, 6-4 at No. 5 to double the lead. Gonzaga pulled one back at No. 1 singles, but Rubio Perez made it 3-1 with a 7-6, 6-1 defeat of Ella Nielsen at No. 3 singles.
Brooke Bittner made it a 3-2 deficit for Gonzaga with a win at No. 6 and the final two singles matches were each pushed to third set tiebreakers.
Tiegan Aitken outlasted Dimitrijevic 7-1 at No. 4 and then Kianna Oda clinched with a 7-3 tiebreak win against Sally Pethybridge at No. 2.
Portland will continue WCC action at Santa Clara on Thursday at 11 a.m., at Saint Mary’s Friday at noon and at San Francisco on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Gonzaga 4, Portland 3
Spokane, Wash. (Stevens Center)
March 23, 2024
Singles
1. Emily Robertson (GON) def. Iva Zelic (UP) 6-3, 6-3
2. Kianna Oda (GON) def. Sally Pethybridge (UP) 7-6 (4), 3-6, 7-6 (3)
3. Rubio Perez (UP) def. Ella Nielsen (GON) 7-6 (4), 6-1
4. Tiegan Aitken (GON) def. Aleksandra Dimitrijevic (UP) 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (1)
5. Rouf (UP) def. Caroline Wernli (GON) 6-1, 6-4
6. Brooke Bittner (GON) def. Pearson (UP) 7-6 (2), 6-3
Doubles competition
1. AItken/Oda (GON) vs. Zelic/Pethybridge (UP) 4-5, unfinished
2. Dimitrijevic/Pearson (UP) def. Robertson/Nielsen (GON) 6-3
3. Rubio Perez/Rouf (UP) def. Bittner/Lia Espinal (GON) 6-1
Match Notes:
Portland 7-7, 0-1 WCC
Gonzaga 7-8, 1-0 WCC
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (5,1,3,6,4,2)
Get Your Tickets Now!
Secure your spot now for any upcoming Portland Pilots ticketed home event by visiting PortlandPilots.com/Tickets or by downloading the Portland Pilots App. For group and fan experience package information, email pilotsboxoffice@up.edu.
Donate Today
Fans interested in making a contribution to the Pilot Athletic Fund can do so by clicking here. Your gift directly helps our nearly 300 student-athletes as they strive to make a difference in our community and achieve academic and athletic excellence. Thank you for support of Pilot Athletics!
Follow Along With the Action
Get the latest news and information about your favorite University of Portland athletic programs by visiting PortlandPilots.com. You can also follow along for the most dynamic coverage and team-centric content by following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook, and following us on Instagram.
First appeared on portlandpilots.com