March 2, 2008

Spokane, Wash. - The Gonzaga University women's tennis team fell 6-1 to host Colorado State University Saturday in Fort Collins, Colo. The Zags battled in the contest, taking three singles matches to three sets.

Colorado State (3-2) jumped out to an early advantage, sweeping the doubles matches. The Rams' Laura Neal and Anette Phojalainen opened the contest with a 8-3 victory over Gonzaga's (3-7) Clare Dodge and Danielle Farmer. CSU then clinched the point with Laura Strasburger and Hillary Tyler 9-7 victory over Emily Anderson and Aglaya Kokurina at No. 2. The Rams completed the sweep with an 8-7 (3)victory by Sarah Seltsam and Kristen Stople over Rika Mehndiratta and Kristen MacWilliam at No. 3.

Gonzaga earned its lone point at the No. 2 position of doubles play, as Kokurina posted a hard fought 6-7 (6), 7-5, 1-0 (7) match over Tyler. The Zags' dropped the No. 5 and 6 matches in the third set as MacWilliam fell 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (11) to Greer Satherlie at No. 5 and Famer fell 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (6) at No. 6 to Caitlin Fluegge. At the top spot, Anderson dropped a 6-3, 6-4 decision to Strasburger, while Dodge fell 6-2, 6-0 to Neal at No. 3. Wrapping up singles play, Mehndiratta was defeated at No. 4 by Pojalainen 6-2, 7-6 (3) at No. 4.

Next, the Zags will face the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyo. The match is scheduled for Sunday at 9 a.m.

Colorado State 6, Gonzaga 1Doubles:Strasburger/Tyler def Anderson/Kokurina - 9-7Neal/Pohjalainen def Dodge/Farmer - 8-3Seltsam/Stople def Mehndiratta/MacWilliam - 8-7(3)
Order of finish:2, 1, 3
Singles:Strasburger def Anderson - 6-3, 6-4Kokurina def Tyler - 6-7(6), 7-5, 1-0(7)Neal def Dodge - 6-2, 6-0Pohjalainen def Mehndiratta - 6-2, 7-6(3)Satherlie def MacWilliam - 6-4, 3-6, 1-0(11)Fluegge def Farmer - 4-6, 6-2, 1-0(6)
Order of finish:3, 1, 4, 2, 6, 5