PULLMAN, Wash. – Freshman Aneta Miksovska converted her third match point to clinch a 4-2 Washington State win over No. 51 Utah Friday afternoon at the Simmelink Tennis Courts at Hollingbery Fieldhouse.
With the win the No. 58 Cougars improve to 15-4 on the season, 1-3 in Pac-12 play. Utah falls to 10-5, 1-2.
Miksovska rode a break of serve in the first set to a 6-3 win then battled Taylor Calton throughout the second. Tied at 4-4, Miksovska held off three break points to take a 5-4 lead, and held her first two match points in the next game before Calton held serve, then earned a break to take a 6-5 lead. After forcing a tiebreaker, it was 4-4 before Miksovska won the final three points to give WSU an insurmountable 4-2 lead with one match remaining.
The day began with doubles where Utah captured the opening point, escaping with two close matches. At No. 3 the Utah duo of Calton and Luisa Gerstner Da Rose defeated Barbora Michalkova and Miksovska, 6-4, while the point was clinched at No. 1 when Margo Pletcher and Brianna Turley posted a 7-5 win over Maria Biryukova and Trang Huynh. The No. 2 doubles match was stopped once the point was clinched, with WSU's Donika Bashota and Lize Leenknecht tied with Sarah Richter and Alexa Petrovic at 5-5.
In singles play, Huynh evened the match as she won two close sets in a 6-4, 6-4 win over Cheng at No. 4. The win was the 28th of the season for Huynh, moving her into a tied for eighth on WSU's single-season list. Biryukova quickly followed with a 7-6 (5), 6-1 win over Richter at No. 2, giving the Cougars at 2-1 advantage.
The Cougars extended their lead to 3-1 when Bashota finished off Pletcher at No. 1, 6-3, 7-5. The WSU sophomore needed six match points after leading 5-2 in the second, but broke Pletcher's serve in the final game for her 33rd win of the season, tying WSU's single-season record.
At No. 3, Michalkova and Turley went back and forth. After splitting the first two sets, Turley raced out to a 4-2 lead, only to have Michalkova gain the break back to even the score at 4-4. The Cougar freshman could not sustain the momentum as Turley rode a break of serve to the 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 win, cutting the WSU lead to 3-2.
Once Miksovska clinched the victory, the No. 6 singles match between Leenknecht and Petrovic was stopped midway through the third set. Petrovic won the first 6-4, lost the second 6-1, and was up 4-3 at the time it was halted.
The Cougars continue their homestand Sunday when they host Colorado at 11 a.m. That match is scheduled to be played at the WSU Outdoor Tennis Courts.
WASHINGTON STATE TENNIS
No. 58 Washington State 4 def. No. 51 Utah 2
March 18, 2016
Simmelink Tennis Courts at Hollingbery Fieldhouse
Pullman, Wash.
DOUBLES
No. 1 Margo Pletcher/Brianna Turley (UU) def. Maria Biryukova/Trang Huynh (WSU) 7-5
No. 2 Donika Bashota/Lize Leenknecht (WSU) vs. Sarah Richter/Alexa Petrovic (UU) 5-5 DNF
No. 3 Taylor Calton/Luisa Gerstner Da Rosa (UU) def. Barbora Michalkova/Aneta Miksovska (WSU) 6-4
Order of Finish: 3,1
SINGLES
No. 1 Donika Bashota (WSU) def. Margo Pletcher (UU) 6-3, 7-5
No. 2 Maria Biryukova (WSU) def. Sarah Richter (UU) 7-6 (5), 6-1
No. 3 Brianna Turley (UU) def. Barbora Michalkova (WSU) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
No. 4 Trang Huynh (WSU) def. Jena Cheng (UU) 6-4, 6-4
No. 5 Aneta Miksovska (WSU) def. Taylor Calton (UU) 6-3, 7-6 (4)
No. 6 Lize Leenknecht (WSU) vs. Alex Petrovic (UU) 4-6, 6-1, 3-4 DNF
Order of Finish: 4,2,1,4,5
