SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The University of Hawai`i women's tennis team battled No. 45 San Diego in four-hour marathon match before eventually falling, 5-2, Wednesday afternoon at the USD West Tennis courts. The Rainbow Wahine fell to 1-4 on the season with its third loss this season to a ranked opponent.

 

Coming off a tough loss to WCC contender Loyola Marymount on Monday, the Rainbows came out ready to compete against the No. 45 team in the nation. The Rainbow Wahine fell just shy of claiming the doubles point and took two of six singles matches from the Toreros (4-2).

 

In doubles, Hawai'i took the first match with ease at court No. 2 as Katarina Poljakova and Sophie Kobuch downed the Torero tandem, of Maja Sujica and Laura Claus, 8-0. San Diego bounced right back and grabbed a win on court No.1 when senior Alexandra Demidova and sophomore Juliette Coupez churned out an 8-5 triumph of Barbara Pinterova and Alyssa Nafarrete. In a dramatic clinching match, San Diego's Justine Perl and sophomore Marite Raygada outlasted Aglae Van den Bergh and Natasha Zorec, 9-7, to take home the initial point.

 

Zorec bounced right back for UH in singles play with a dominating 6-1, 6-1 win over Lise Marbach at the No. 4 court to even thing up. After USD claimed the next two matches, Poljakova got UH within one point, 3-2, with a 6-2, 6-4 straight-set win over Sujica. The Toreros, however, clinched the match with hard-fought 6-2, 6-4 victory by Coupez over Pinterova at the No. 1 court. USD picked up the final point on Court No. 2, as Claus squeezed past Kobuch, 7-5, 7-6, pushing the final score to 5-2 in favor of the Toreros.

 

The Rainbow Wahine conclude their trip through Southern California with a match at No. 48 San Diego State on Thursday, Feb. 11 at 1:30 p.m. PT (11:30 a.m. HT).

 

1. Juliette Coupez/ Alexandra Demidova (USD) def. Barbara Pinterova/Alyssa Nafarrete (UH)  8-5

2. Katarina Poljakova /Sophie Kobuch (UH) def. Laura Claus/Maja Sujica (USD)  8-0

3. Justine Perl/Marite Raygada (USD) def. Aglae Van den Bergh/Natasha Zorec (UH)  9-7*

 

1. Juliette Coupez (USD) def. Barbara Pinterova (UH)   6-2, 6-4*

2. Laura Claus (USD) def. Sophie Kobuch (UH)   7-5, 7-6

3. Katarina Poljakova (UH) def. Maja Sujica (USD)   6-2, 6-4

4. Natasha Zorec (UH) def. Lise Marbach (USD)   6-1, 6-1

5. Alexandra Demidova (USD) def. Aglae Van den Bergh (UH)   6-1, 6-1

6. Marite Raygada (USD) def. Alyssa Nafarrete (UH)   6-0, 7-6