Box Score vs. IUP I Box Score vs. West Virginia State

CALIFORNIA (April 11) – Playing a pair of nationally-ranked teams on Saturday afternoon, the No. 12 Vulcans registered a 5-4 victory over No. 32 IUP before earning a 7-2 win against No. 47 West Virginia State on Senior Day at Roadman Park.

With the victories, the California University of Pennsylvania tennis team improves to 9-2 overall and extends its winning streak to eight matches. The Vulcans also now hold a 3-0 mark in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play with three divisional matches remaining in the regular season.

Against the Crimson Hawks (11-6, 4-1), the Vulcans swept all three doubles matches before sophomore Kiefer Shaw (Westmount, Quebec/Centennial) clinched the match victory with a three-set victory at first singles. Cal U opened the doubles session when freshman Lena Dimmer (Wallendorf-Pont, Luxembourg/Lycée Classique) and sophomore Veronika Mikulis (Otterburn Park, Quebec/Heritage Regional) posted an 8-4 win over Sophie Butland and Alanna McFail at the third position. Shaw and senior Jesse Burrell (Perth, Australia/Presbyterian Ladies' College) rallied from a 5-0 deficit to claim a 9-7 victory at first doubles against Tanya Timko and Jarka Petercakova, the fourth-ranked tandem in the region. At the second slot, senior Ramona Czakon (Trier, Germany/Tampereen Lyseon Lukio) and sophomore Mariela Sarinana (Mexico City, Mexico/Miraflores) rallied for a 9-8 (9-7) win over Luise Von Agris and Rachel Wood after also losing the opening five points of the match.

In singles play, Shaw registered a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory at first position over Timko, the No. 46 player in the country and reigning PSAC West Athlete of the Year. Czakon suffered a 7-5, 6-2 loss against Petercakova at the second slot, while Dimmer dropped a 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 match at third singles to Raquel Gonzalez. At the fourth position, freshman Alice Johns (Northampton, England/Northampton) was downed by a 6-3, 6-1 count by Butland and Mikulis suffered a 7-6, 6-2 loss against Von Agris at the fifth position. Sarinana rounded out the lineup with a 6-2, 6-1 victory at sixth singles over Wood.

Against the Yellow Jackets (11-2), the Vulcans swept doubles play for the fifth time this season. At the first position, Burrell and Shaw posted their team-leading 15th victory of the year with an 8-3 win over Brittany Franco and Brooke Campbell, the second-ranked doubles team in the region. Czakon and Sarinana extended their winning streak to five matches with an 8-2 victory at the second slot against Diana Cotoros and Charlotte Sandy. Dimmer and Mikulis collected an 8-4 win over Brenda Cumpa and Nina Dillwald at third doubles.

Cal U sealed the match victory by claiming four of the six singles matches. Shaw dropped a 7-5, 6-1 match at the first slot to Franco, the seventh-ranked player in the region. Czakon earned her 11th victory of the season with a 6-1, 6-0 win at the second position over Campbell and Dimmer registered a 6-3, 6-0 victory against Sandy at third singles. Mikulis suffered a 6-3, 6-0 loss at the fourth slot to Dillwald and Johns tallied a 4-6, 6-4 (11-9) super tiebreaker victory against Cumpa at the fifth position. Sarinana extended her winning streak to seven matches with a 6-4, 6-0 win at sixth singles over Cotoros.

The Vulcans return to action tomorrow, Sunday, April 12, when they travel to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for a match against Carnegie Mellon, the No. 7 team in NCAA Division III, at 2 p.m.