By Long Beach State women’s tennis team, similar to California’s weather, has been ice-cold in its past two performances by beating both San Francisco and Saint Mary’s College over the weekend.
Long Beach (6-0) got its most recent win against Saint Mary’s (1-6) Saturday, coming out on top in a 4-2 outing. Despite the record, the Gaels put up a competitive performance.
“We do not have film or scouting reports,” head coach Jenny Hilt-Costello said before the roadtrip. “We prepare by practicing hard to improve our mental and physical games every day.”
Their first point came in doubles where the duo of Natalia Munoz and Lalita Devarakonda shined, winning the set 6-4. The other duo to come away with a win was Emma Bardet and Zara Lennon, earning the same outcome as their teammates.
Three of these players would come back and win the game for LBSU: Bardet in three sets 6-2, 4-6, 6-3; Munoz in two sets 6-4, 7-5; and Devarakonda in two sets 6-0, 6-1.
Bardet’s ability to get past adversity after having lost her previous singles match in San Francisco, was a great sign for the 49ers as they look to continue winning.
The 49ers win against the Gaels was a result of momentum they got earlier in the road trip, with the source being the win against San Francisco Friday.
Long Beach had a great start to its weekend, beating San Francisco (5-4) in a convincing 5-2 victory that had a lot of the same players coming away with wins.
LBSU came away with the doubles point early on, with its start being predicated on the performances of the same two duos. Munoz, Devarakonda, Bardet and Lennon won their duos matches 6-2.
Solidifying their doubles point, the 49ers showed the same kind of winning intensity in their singles matches: Munoz in two sets 6-2, 6-0; Devarakonda in two sets 6-1, 6-2; Wiktoria Rutkowska in three sets 3-4, 6-4, 6-1; and Dominique Meyer in two sets 6-4, 6-4.
Each singles victory told a story, with Devarakonda’s being the most notable since she had only played one singles match prior to this road trip, in which she won. Her overall performance this weekend has been a huge help for the undefeated 49ers, who need players to step up if they look to keep this streak alive.
Returning home, Long Beach has a 2 p.m. Thursday matchup against the University of San Diego.
