ST. GEORGE, Utah - The NM State women's tennis team entered the weekend with just one win on its 2021 ledger.
It finished the weekend with two more triumphs as well as the top spot in the Western Athletic Conference standings.
Thanks to some strong singles play, the Aggies moved to 3-6 overall and 2-0 in WAC action by claiming a 5-2 victory over Seattle U Saturday morning at the Trailblazer Tennis Courts on the campus of Dixie State.
DOUBLES
• All the winning the Aggies would do in tandem play came in the third flight where Miranda Bishard and Lucija Josipovic claimed a 6-2 victory over the Redhawks' pairing of Martina Asciuto and Aranza Sanabria.
• That win helped the Aggies make the first move in doubles, but Seattle U went on to claim the point. Wins by the Redhawks in lines one and two - both by scores of 6-2 - put the Aggies in an early 1-0 hole.
SINGLES
• It didn't take too long for the Aggies to even the score. Facing off against Jade Lancaster on line three, Bishard picked up a victory in a little less time than usual. With Bishard up 4-1, Lancaster retired from the match which allowed NM State to tie things at 1-1.
• Harsha Challa handed the Aggies a lead they wouldn't give up by securing a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Hannah Gianan in top-flight one-on-one action.
• Bella Nguyen extended NM State's lead to 3-1 thanks to a 6-2, 7-5 triumph over Asciuto in fifth-flight play.
• The game-winning point came off of Gavi Kalaga's racket. In fourth-flight play, the junior out-dueled Hannah Grossman and picked up a 7-6 (1), 6-4 win which clinched the match for NM State.
• Josipovic put the finishing touches on a perfect day with an important 7-6 (3), 7-5 win over Sanabria in the sixth slot.
• Chloe Gavino almost made it a clean sweep of singles action for the Aggies, but lost her grip on an early lead over Peggy Rooke and fell 5-7, 6-2, 6-3.
COMING UP NEXT
• The Aggies head to Arizona where they'll step out of WAC action for three-consecutive matches. That stretch begins Wednesday afternoon in Tempe, Ariz., where NM State will face off against Pac-12 foe Arizona State at the Whiteman Tennis Center. First serve is set for 1:30 p.m.
++NM State++
