The 49ers’ debut at the Rhodes Tennis Center did not go as planned, as Florida International came away with the victory, 4-3, on Saturday.
Amid screams of frustration and energetic shouts of “c’mon!,” the six singles players battled hard. First off the court was Long Beach State’s No. 6 singles Lisa Sutton, who was defeated by FIU’s Maria Vallosciani, 2-6, 2-6.
The one-point loss was converted into a lead when two 49er freshmen, No.3 singles Rachel Manasse and No. 4 singles Anais Dallara, dominated their opponents. Manasse’s final score read 6-4, 6-1 and Dallara’s finished at 6-2, 6-3.
No. 1 singles Hannah Grady, with a personal ranking of No. 68, was down 5-4 in the first set but came back to force a tie breaker and clinch the win over FIU’s Priscilla Castillo, 7-6, 6-4.
One of the hardest fought matches was the No. 2 singles, with LBSU sophomore Deborah Armstrong battling Liset Brito. Armstrong had to rally back after dropping the first set, 6-2. She won the second set, 6-3, but ultimately fell in the third, 6-4.
Only one singles match was in progress after Armstrong and Brito left the court and that was No. 5 singles Julie Luzar of LBSU and the Panther’s Megan Jones.
The score showed LBSU with a slight 3-2 lead, and if Luzar had pulled out the win, the 49ers would’ve come away with the victory. Luzar had come back from a 7-5 loss in the first set to take the second, 7-6. All eyes were on the Luzar and Jones by the third set, and it was filled with groans and cheers. At the end of the day, it was Jones who would capture the set, 6-4.
With a 3-3 tie in scoring, three doubles would play and the winner of two of the three matches would take home the win for their team. LBSU’s Armstrong and Sutton would seek revenge from the Panthers and walked away with the 49er’s only victory in doubles, 8-1.
Dallara/Grady fell to Brito/Castillo, 8-3, while Manasse and Jessica Weeks were defeated, 8-5.
The 49ers will next travel to take on San Diego State on Friday at 1:30 p.m..