Eagles Win PacWest Championships Debut
Brian Gaul
The Rundown: The Concordia Eagles moved past Stanislaus State 5-3 in a thriller in the first round of the PacWest Championships at the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Center in Surprise, AZ on Wednesday.
By the Numbers: The Eagles started the day with two doubles wins as Ivana Vlakic and Kelsey Markle downed Lamella Belgica and Analyssa Tallas 8-0 in #3 doubles. Johanna Keeline and Samantha Schuster combined to beat J'Ana Diamond and Ebone Qualls in #2 doubles, 8-0. Stanislaus got a win in #1 doubles 8-4. Tallas defeated Caitlyn Uzzi 6-1, 6-2 in #6 singles to even the match at two. Keeline quickly took it back with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Qualls in #5 singles. Again Stanislaus tied it as Cassidy Ferrell beat Luisa Sterkel 6-2, 6-1 in #3 singles. Vlakic defeated Jaella Conway 7-6, 6-0 in #1 singles to get CUI to four points.
The Difference:Â Samantha Schuster was able to shake off a set one loss by winning sets two and three, 6-4, 6-2, over Belgica in the #4 singles slot, clinching the win for the Eagles, 5-3.
"The women fought very well today, as first rounds are always tough and we played against a very competitive Stanislaus team that made it much more of a challenge," CUI head coach Jonathan Sanchez said.  "We had a great start in doubles winning two of them, but we started tight in singles but loosened up and found a way to win three of those. This was a great confidence building match as we go into the quarterfinals against the #1 seed, BYU-Hawaii."
What it Means:Â Concordia improves to 7-9 on the season and 1-0 all-time in PacWest Championships play.
Up Next: Concordia will face the #1 seed BYU-Hawaii Seasiders tomorrow at 9 am in the quarterfinals. It marks the first meeting in school history.Â
