University of Houston
No. 57 Washington State
Cougars Hand No. 57 Washington State First Loss of 2015
2/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
HOUSTON - The No. 51 University of Houston tennis team won several close matches to put away a pesky Washington State squad, 5-2, on Friday at the John E. Hoff Courts. The victory over the 57th-ranked WSU club is the second of the season for Houston against a nationally-ranked opponent.
The Cougars are now 3-3 overall, while Washington State suffered their first loss of the season on Friday and is now 7-1.
"We had a great week of preparation leading into this match, and as a result we rebounded the right way from a difficult loss at New Mexico," said Houston Head Coach Patrick Sullivan. "Last year's match against Washington State was a very difficult victory, so I knew we had our hands full today. I'm proud of our total team effort and how hard we played on every court."
The day started with Houston wins on the top two doubles courts. Despoina Vogasari and Elena Kordolaimi held the top court, 6-2, over Lize Leenknecht and Elizaveta Luzina. In the second flight, Tina Rupert and Maria Cardenas rallied to top Donika Bashota and Victoria Matejevic, 6-4.
The singles matches opened in thunderous fashion for the Cougars, as Cardenas breezed past Nastia Vasyukhina on court six, 6-0, 6-0. But the visitors were the next to put a point on the board, as Bashota took down Mina Markovic, 6-2, 6-4, in the fourth flight.
With the remaining four courts hanging in the balance, Houston's nationally-ranked Greek duo grabbed control and won back-and-forth battles. No. 21 Vogasari put away Luzina in the top flight for the second straight season, 7-5, 6-3, and No. 52 Kordolaimi secured the overall victory with a 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 triumph over Maria Biryukova on court two.
Houston and Washington State split the remaining matches. Rupert stormed back to knock off Matejevic in the fifth flight, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, and Rocio Martin fell to Leenknecht on the third court, 6-2, 5-7, 7-5.
Both Kordolaimi and Vogasari are now 5-0 in the spring. The senior has won eight straight completed matches dating back to the fall season.
Rupert and Cardenas, meanwhile, are 5-0 on the season as a doubles tandem, including a 2-0 spring mark.
"At one point, we were trailing on five of the six singles courts," said Sullivan. "For us to rally from those early deficits shows great character and commitment from our entire team."
 | RESULTS |
SINGLES
1. #21 Despoina Vogasari (UH) def. Elizaveta Luzina (WSU) 7-5, 6-3
2. #52 Elena Kordolaimi (UH) def. Maria Biryukova (WSU) 5-7, 6-1, 6-2
3. Lize Leenknecht (WSU) def. Rocio Martin (UH) 6-2, 5-7, 7-5
4. Donika Bashota (WSU) def. Mina Markovic (UH) 6-2, 6-4
5. Tina Rupert (UH) def. Victoria Matejevic (WSU) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
6. Maria Cardenas (UH) def. Nastia Vasyukhina (WSU) 6-0, 6-0
DOUBLES
1. Elena Kordolaimi/Despoina Vogasari (UH) def. Lize Leenknecht/Elizaveta Luzina (WSU) 6-2
2. Tina Rupert/Maria Cardenas (UH) def. Donika Bashota/Victoria Matejevic (WSU) 6-4
3. Rocio Martin/Mina Markovic (UH) vs. Maria Biryukova/Nastia Vasyukhina (WSU) 5-6, unfinished
| UP NEXT FOR THE COUGARS |
Houston hosts No. 42 Washington on Saturday at 2 pm on the John E. Hoff Courts. Admission is free and live scoring is available at UHCougars.com/TennisScores.
"We turn right back around tomorrow and face another difficult opponent in Washington," said Sullivan. "It's another great opportunity, and we are excited about it. We will need to bring the same level of play tomorrow if we hope to achieve the same result."
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Players Mentioned
