No. 45 Toreros Escape with Victory over Pilots
 
PORTLAND, Ore. --- Portland’s top two players picked up grueling three set victories, but the rest of the No. 45 San Diego Toreros were able to hold off the Pilots as Portland dropped a 4-2 West Coast Conference match Saturday afternoon at the Louisiana-Pacific Tennis Center.
 
Freshman Maja Mladenovic and sophomore Anastasia Polyakova have settled into a nice rhythm at the top of Portland’s (7-8, 1-3 WCC) rotation. After Mladenovic picked up a well-deserved win from the top spot with scores of 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, Polyakova battled in a back-and-forth affair with USD’s (7-6, 2-0 WCC) Stephanie Hoffpauir.
 
The effort paid off for Polyakova as she took the final two games of the third set for an intense 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 victory.
 
With today’s singles victories, Mladenovic and Polyakova each own five match win streaks to become the first Pilots this season to reach 10 victories.
 
Portland’s efforts on the day fell just short, however, as fortune favored the Toreros in the other match-ups. Senior Sabine Fuchs gave Shani Blecher a tough match, but Blecher finished points when she had to as she held off Fuchs, 7-5, 6-4.
 
Freshman Saroop Dhatt met the same fate from the fifth spot, narrowly missing on a handful of shots that could have swayed the match in her favor.
 
The Pilots begin their final road trip of the season next week, beginning the four match swing against Cal Poly on Friday at 11 a.m. Portland then plays UC Santa Barbara on Saturday at 11 a.m. in the final nonconference match of the year.