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Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State University
Sacramento State
Dallara, Cantlay lead women's tennis past No. 55 Sacramento State
3/8/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
March 8, 2012
Long Beach, Calif. - Senior Anais Dallara picked up a crucial doubles win to get the 49ers started with the doubles point, and then won her match at No. 1 singles to help Long Beach State defeat No. 55 Sacramento State 4-3 in the first of two matches against ranked opponents this week. Long Beach State faces their conference rivals, No. 63 UC Irvine, at 2 p.m. on Friday.
Facing a team with a solid doubles lineup in Sacramento State, Long Beach State got off to an important start in doubles on Thursday, as Sarah Cantlay and Julie Luzar defeated Knoebl/Lohschiedt at No. 3 doubles 8-1. Tatsiana Kapshai and Rebeca Delgado, ranked second in the Northwest region, defeated Rachel Manasse and Laura Bernard 8-4, but Dallara and Klaudia Malenovska toppled the No. 4 team in the Northwest Region, Clarisse Baca and Maria Meliuk, winning 8-6. That handed the 49ers the doubles point, an important one in the scheme of the match.
In singles, the Hornets were able to even up the score 101 as Meliuk defeated Anna Jeczmionka 6-0, 6-1, but Long Beach State answered back with two quick wins of their own in the top two singles slots. Manasse defeated Baca 6-2, 6-2 at No. 2 singles, and was quickly followed by Dallara at No. 1, who picked up her second win of the day 6-2, 6-3 over Kapshai.
Long Beach State's chances to seal the win early slipped away however, as both Laura Bernard and Sarah Cantlay lost second-set tiebreakers that would have clinched the match. Bernard was eventually forced to retire, but Cantlay provided the win the 49ers needed, rallying back from the second set loss to defeat Katharina Knoebl 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-0 to seal the win.
The 49ers other loss came in another three-set defeat, as Malenovska rallied to defeat Sophie Lohschiedt in the second set, but ultimately lost 7-5, 3-6, 6-1.
Long Beach State returns to the Rhodes Tennis Center tomorrow for another 2 p.m. match, this time facing a conference opponent in UC Irvine. Both the 49ers and the Anteaters enter tomorrow's match unbeaten in Big West play, and the two teams have played each other for the conference championship over the last four seasons.
Players Mentioned
