Junior Stefanie Doolittle
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The Portland Pilots women’s tennis team fell to the 44th-ranked Pepperdine 4-0 in the opening round of the West Coast Conference Championships Friday morning. The Waves, who have won the last seven WCC Championships in a row, claimed the match with three singles victories.
Sophomore Tessa Mini looked to secure the Pilots first point at the No. 6 spot but lost in straight sets 6-0, 6-1 against Pepperdine’s Tara Panu. Pilots Stephanie Fuchs and Stefanie Doolittle met similar fates in the No. 3 and 4 positions. Several singles matches were left unfinished by the time the match was determined including Pilot senior Megan Sporndli, who leads the team with an 11-6 overall record.
The doubles duo of Sporndli and junior Lacey Pflibsen also had their match pulled from the court after the Waves clinched the doubles point with wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots.
"We battled with heart today with Valeska Hoath taking the first set at No. 5 before the match was halted," said head coach Susie Campbell-Gross. "It was great preparation for our 8 a.m. match with Gonzaga on Saturday. The Pilots are excited to take on the Zags and leave it all out there on the courts."
The No. 7 seeded Portland (6-14) will continue WCC play on Saturday, April 24 at 8 a.m. against the sixth-seeded Gonzaga. The Bulldogs fell 4-0 to No. 3 San Diego in their opening match. The last meeting between the Pilots and Gonzaga was on March 19th with Gonzaga earning a narrow 4-3 advantage.
The winner of the UP-Gonzaga competition will advance to the consolation final, while the loser will battle for seventh place on Sunday.
#2 Pepperdine 4, #6 Pilots 0
San Diego, Calif. (Barnes Tennis Center)
April 23, 2010
Doubles
1) #77 Anamika Bhargava/Marie Zalameda (PEP) vs. Lacey Pflibsen/Megan Sporndli (POR), unfinished
2) Arianna Colffer/Ali Walters (PEP) def. Stefanie Doolittle/Valeska Hoath (POR), 8-1
3) Andrea Oates/Tania Rice (PEP) def. Stephanie Fuchs/Tessa Mini (POR), 8-3
Order of finish: 3,2
Singles
1) #98 Arianna Colffer (PEP) vs. Megan Sporndli (POR), unfinished
2) Anamika Bhargava (PEP) vs. Lacey Pflibsen (POR), unfinished
3) Ali Walters (PEP) def. Stephanie Fuchs (POR), 6-1, 6-0
4) Andrea Oates (PEP) def. Stefanie Doolittle (POR), 6-1, 6-1
5) Valeska Hoath (POR) vs. Tania Rice (PEP), unfinished
6) Tara Panu (PEP) def. Tessa Mini (POR), 6-0, 6-1
Order of finish: 6, 4, 3
Match Notes
Portland Pilots 6-14; #44 Pepperdine Waves 11-12