Women’s tennis team loses at top-25 opponents
The Cal Poly women’s tennis team had a busy holiday weekend, traveling south to take on two ranked teams, No. 18 Pepperdine and No. 3 UCLA.
The Mustangs suffered their first loss of the young season on Sunday, falling 5-2 to Pepperdine.
Cal Poly (2-2) scored points from juniors Shannon Brady and Whitney Peterson, and also recorded a doubles victory by Diane Filip and Maria Malec.
Filip and Malec won their match over Jill Braverman and Alex Liles 8-2. But the Mustangs couldn’t seize the opportunity and capture the doubles point, dropping the other two games.
Brittany Blalock and Steffi Wong tasted defeat for the first time this season, losing a competitive match to Bianca Dulgheru and Sylvia Kosakowski 8-6. Amy Markhoff and Brady teamed up against Anete Bandere and Anamkia Bhargava of Pepperdine, falling 8-4.
Brady and Peterson were both able to recover from dropping the first set in their singles matches. Brady defeated Liles 3-6, 6-0, 6-2 while Peterson beat Bandere 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. The other four matches all resulted in straight-set losses for Cal Poly.
On Monday, the Mustangs were swept by the Bruins, 7-0 at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.
UCLA’s Riza Zalameda and Yasmin Schnack edged Blalock and Wong 8-5. Brady and Markhoff fell to Ashley Joelson and Alex McGoodwin 8-6.
Filip posted the best singles scores for Cal Poly, losing to Stephanie Wetmore 6-3, 7-5.
The Mustangs will take the court against Utah in Eugene, Ore. at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Swimming and diving teams rebound from losses to UC Davis
Both the Cal Poly men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams beat Cal State Northridge at the Cal Poly Recreation Center on Monday.
The Cal Poly women won 172-91, and the men swam by the Matadors 159-107.
On the women’s side, the Mustangs claimed 14 of 16 events against their Big West Conference foe.
Senior Stacey Sorensen won the 100 backstroke (1:00.05), the 50 freestyle (24.2) and the 100 freestyle (52.84) on behalf of Cal Poly.
The Mustangs’ Karin Schleicher, meanwhile, won the 200 freestyle in 1:56.12 and the 400 individual medley in 4:38.15.
Freshman Gloria Benefield paced the competition in the 200 butterfly, at 2:04.13, and in the 500 freestyle, at 5:02.73.
Cal Poly’s men won 10 of their 16 events, respectively.
Freshman Kyle Smith won both butterfly events for the Mustangs, at 1:53.39 in the 200 and 51.57 in the 100.
Carter Richards claimed the 100 breaststroke in 57.20 and the 200 breaststroke in 2:06.13, while Matthew Waggoner finished first in the 1000 freestyle at 9:39.22, and also the 500 freestyle, at 4:45.29.
Peter Kline won the 400 individual medley at 4:11.30.
The Mustangs host Pepperdine at 10 a.m. Saturday.