GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Montana State Billings women's tennis team avenged an earlier season loss to Colorado State-Pueblo Saturday morning with a 5-4 win over the Thunderwolves at Mesa State College. The men's team lost a 6-3 non-conference match to Sonoma State.
“Our women bounced back from a pair of tough matches on Friday and got the win,” MSUB head coach Lew Kosich said. “Rikki and Maria again had outstanding matches for us.”
The women's team enters the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championship Apr. 22-23 in Denver, Colo., with a 7-11 record after snapping a five match skid. The Jackets finished RMAC play 1-5 this season, but were competitive in every match.
On the men's side, the Jackets finish the regular season with an 8-8 record and were 4-2 in league play. The Yellowjacket men's team secured the No. 3-seed in the upcoming RMAC Championship and will play Colorado State-Pueblo, a team they beat 7-2 in Billings on Apr. 1.
The women's team is the No. 6-seed and will play top-seeded Mesa State. Mesa State bested the Jackets 8-1 Friday.
Against CSU-Pueblo Saturday, the Yellowjackets began with two doubles wins at Nos. 1 and 2.
Kim Karlsson and Rikki Peach dispatched of Morgan Forsyth and Andrea Ortiz, 8-4 at No. 1, while Maria Peterson and Johnna Beatty downed Nicole Pilot and Cindy Boughton 8-2. Libby Rutz and Kayla Rochin lost at No. 3 8-0 as the Jackets held a 2-1 lead going into singles play.
The two teams split the six singles matches as Peach won at No. 2 (6-1, 6-1), while Peterson continued her strong play at No. 4 with a 6-3, 7-6(2) win over Kellie Manes and Rochin won at No. 6, 6-3, 6-1 to clinch the match.
On the men's side, the Jackets dropped two of the three doubles matches as Alonso Leon and Thomas Staffileno won at No. 3 over Scott Gaynor and Anthony Rollins, 8-6. MSUB had strong play from its top two singles player as Navin Marimuthu and Leon both won. Marimuthu downed Taylor Bianco 6-4, 6-4, while Leon made quick work of Drexler Dry, 6-0, 6-1.
Montana State Billings 5, Colorado State-Pueblo 4
Doubles
1. Forsyth/Ortiz (CSUP) def. Karlsson/Peach (MSUB) 8-4
2. Peterson/Beatty (MSUB) def. Pilot/Boughton (CSUP) 8-2
3. Manes/Hart (CSUP) def. Rutz/Rochin (MSUB) 8-0
Singles
1. Morgan Forsyth (CSUP) def. Kim Karlsson (MSUB) 6-0, 6-0
2. Rikki Peach (MSUB) def. Nicole Pilot (CSUP) 6-1, 6-1
3. Andrea Ortiz (CSUP) def. Johnna Beatty (MSUB) 6-2, 6-2
4. Maria Peterson (MSUB) def. Kellie Manes (CSUP) 6-3, 7-6(2)
5. Cindy Boughton (CSUP) def. Libby Rutz (MSUB) 6-3, 7-6(3)
6. Kayla Rochin (MSUB) def. Aneysa Hart (CSUP) 6-3, 6-1
Sonoma State 6, Montana State Billings 3
Doubles
1. Bianco/Henke (SSU) def. Marimuthu/Gamage (MSUB) 8-5
2. Dry/Keefer (SSU) def. Landicho/Knutson (MSUB) 8-3
3. Leon/Staffileno (MSUB) def. Gaynor/Rollins (SSU) 8-6
Singles
1. Navin Marimuthu (MSUB) def. Taylor Bianco (SSU) 6-4, 6-4
2. Alonso Leon (MSUB) def. Drexler Dry (SSU) 6-0, 6-1
3. Scott Gaynor (SSU) def. Kavindu Gamage (MSUB) 7-5, 6-1
4. Daniel Henke (SSU) def. Delbert Landicho (MSUB) 6-2, 6-2
5. Stewart Hutton (SSU) def. Brad Knutson (MSUB) 6-4, 2-6, 12-10
6. Bryce Keefer (SSU) def. Thomas Staffileno (MSUB) 6-1, 6-3
