By Beth Renkoski
02/17/09
No. 8 Sea Lions Take Down No. 3 Vanguard
San Diego, Calif – No. 8-ranked Point Loma Nazarene hosted the No. 3 Vanguard Lions for both teams second GSAC match of the 2009 season. Starting a bit late due to rainy weather, the Sea Lions and Lions were tied 4-4 as they waited late into the evening for the marathon singles match between sophomores Rachel Owens (PLNU) and Anna Valingsten (VUSC) to finish. Owens out-lasted Valingsten 3-6, 7-6, 6-2 for the deciding point in a 5-4 upset victory for the hosting Sea Lions.
Vanguard started the match strong with a pair of wins in doubles play, taking a 2-1 lead into singles action. Valingsten and Maria Xavier posted an 8-5 win at No. 2 doubles, while Betyel Tesfa and Brittnie Furuvald notched an identical score in their No. 3 win. PLNU persevered 9-8 in the top doubles match over VU’s Kateryna Malakhova and Hana Hurcovica to avoid a sweep by the Lions.
Tesfa (6-3, 6-1) and Furuvald (6-4, 6-3) earned VU’s other two wins, but the Sea Lions prevailed in the No. 1, No. 3, and No. 5 matches to make the No. 4 battle between Valingsten and Owens the match-breaking point. Finally, well after 9 p.m., Owens secured the fifth point for the 5-4 upset victory for the eighth-ranked Sea Lions.
PLNU remains undefeated and improved to 2-0 with the victory, while the third-ranked Lions slip to 1-1 overall and in GSAC.
The VU Lions continue conference play on Saturday when they travel to La Mirada to take on the unranked Biola Eagles.
Today’s Match Scores:
No. 3 Vanguard (1-1, 1-1) vs. No. 8 PLNU (2-0, 2-0)
Doubles
1. Malakhova/Jurcovicova vs. Strimple/Haynes PLNU 9-8
2. Valingsten/Xavier vs. Weir/Owens VU 8-5
3. Tesfa/Furuvald vs. Mohr/Tumini VU 8-5
Singles
1. Hana Jurcovicova vs. Kristin Strimple PNLU 6-4, 6-2
2. Betyel Tesfa vs. Kelsey Weir VU 6-3, 6-1
3. Kateryna Malakhova vs. Kim Haynes PLNU 6-2, 6-4
4. Anna Valingsten vs. Rachel Owens PLNU 3-6, 7-6, 6-2
5. Maria F. Xavier vs. Taryn Zimmer PLNU 6-3, 6-4
6. Brittnie Furuvald vs. Brittany Hall VU 6-4, 6-3
Final score: VU 4 PLNU 5
VU Season record 1-1 (1-1)