The No. 38-ranked Long Beach State women’s tennis team suffered its first loss of the season, as it lost to No. 75 ranked Wyoming 3-4.
The 49ers came in strong as they took the doubles point after winning in two of the tree doubles matches. But they fell apart in singles as they lost in four of the six singles matches at the Rhodes Tennis Center.
The ‘Niners gained a 1-0 lead as they won the majority of the doubles matches. Senior Rachel Manasse and freshman Laura Bernard defeated Cowgirls sophomore Veronica Popovici and junior Simona Synkova 8-4 at the top spot as both Bernard and Manasse dominated in the front with relentless overhand strokes.
Senior Anais Dallara and junior Klaudia Malenovska followed suit on the No. 2 court to win their match 8-4 as well.
LBSU then suffered its first doubles match loss so far this season as junior Sarah Cantlay and senior Julie Luzar struggled in their match, losing 6-8 to Wyoming freshmen Jessica Parizher and Silviya Zhelyazkova.
The 49ers effort collapsed in the singles matches as they failed to capitalize on their early lead against Wyoming.
Manasse didn’t skip a beat after missing last week’s match against BYU as she dominated Synkova at the No. 2 singles in two consecutive 6-1 sets.
Manasse said she did feel some nerves after missing last weeks match.
“[I was] a little nervous after not playing last week,” she said. “I just have to keep telling myself that I can do it.”
Manasse felt that her opponent played right into her best style of play.
“She [her opponent] played the game that I love,” Manasse said, describing how she kept winning the longer, more enduring rallies. “I try to get her to play the longer games.”
It was all downhill for LBSU from there, as Dallara lost to the Popovici 6-7, 1-6.
Luzar fell short in the first set tiebreaker to lose her match 6-7, 4-6 against Wyoming’s junior Alexandra Kovacs.
Bernard, another exception to the collapse alongside Manasse, defeated the Cowgirls junior Sasa Nemcova in a tough 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 victory.
49ers junior Ania Jeczmionka failed to close her match in the second set after winning the first set 6-3. She eventually lost to Zhelyazkova in three sets 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, leaving the last match to decide who would come out victorious.
Malenovska battled hard against Parizher in all three sets only to be defeated in a 2-6, 7-6, 3-6 loss that gave the Cowgirls the deciding point.
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