PORTLAND – Idaho women's tennis won its fourth straight match, earning a come-from-behind 4-3 victory over Portland State on Saturday afternoon at the Tualatin Hills Tennis Center.
For the second time this season, Idaho women's tennis rallied back from losing the doubles point to win a match. The Vandals were winners of four singles contests all in straight sets. The singles surge helped the Vandals win their fourth consecutive conference match and move into a tie for first place in the Big Sky standings.
It was Portland State to strike first in doubles, winning on courts two and three to take a 1-0 lead. Idaho's top court of
Valentina Rodas and
Diana Khaydarshina were victorious over Scarlett Perkins and Capu Sanoner, 6-2.
The Vandals delivered a quick response in singles play with
Valentina Rodas posting a 6-3, 6-0 on court four to tie the match at one all.
Naomi Schraeder broke the tie quickly after with a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 6. Rodas and Schraeder both moved to 5-0 against conference opponents this season.
Portland State countered with a win on court two to bring it to a 2-2 tie.
Ida Johansson pushed the Vandal lead to 3-2 after defeating Momoko Yoshimura in straight sets. She won 6-4, 6-3 to move to 9-4 overall and 4-1 in conference matches.
With two courts remaining, Idaho needed one more point to claim the match-clinching victory over the Vikings. It was a Vandal freshman who stepped up for the third time in the match, as
Diana Khaydarshina posted a straight-set victory over Nika Beukers. Khaydarshina earned a 6-4 first-set win before winning by way of a tiebreak, 7-5 in the second.
Up Next
Idaho looks to maintain its first-place status among the conference standings with three matches remaining. The Vandals travel to Northern Arizona for a Thursday, April 11 matchup before closing the season in Lewiston for their final two home matches against Sacramento State (April 14) and Idaho State (April 19).
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