BEAVERTON, Ore. – Portland sophomore Meagan Pearson logged the deciding point as the Pilots defeated crosstown rival Portland State in a women’s tennis thriller Saturday afternoon at the Babette Horenstein Tennis Center.
The match was close from start-to-finish, but the Pilots pulled it out with a pair of three-set wins by Aleksandra Dimitrijevic and Pearson to earn the team win and improve to 2-0 on the season.
Pearson outlasted Maddie Egan 6-0, 5-7, 6-4 at No. 6 singles to ignite the celebration. Just prior, Dimitrijevic pulled off a 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 comeback victory against Momoko Yoshimura at the No. 4 position, winning six of the final seven games in clutch fashion.
The Pilots also got a 7-6, 6-3 victory at the top of the lineup from Iva Zelic over Elizabeth Strongina.
Portland set the tone with strong doubles play to earn the opening point. Zelic and Sally Pethybridge defeated Strongina and Nika Beukers 6-4 at No. 1 doubles and then Pearson and Alaia Rubio Perez clinched with a 6-4 win at No. 3 against Egan and Scarlett Perkins.
The season-opening road trip continues next weekend when Portland heads to the Northeast for matches against Boston University, Brown and Bryant.
Portland 4, Portland State 3
Beaverton, Ore. (Babette Horenstein Tennis Center)
January 27, 2024
Singles
1. Iva Zelic (POR) def. Elizabeth Strongina (PSU) 7-6 (7), 6-3
2. Nika Beukers (PSU) def. Sally Pethybridge (POR) 6-3, 6-3
3. Makoto Ohara (PSU) def. Alaia Rubio Perez (POR) 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6)
4. Aleksandra Dimitrijevic (POR) def. Momoko Yoshimura (PSU) 4-6, 6-2, 7-5
5. Scarlett Perkins (PSU) def. Nadine Arbaizar Martinez (POR) 7-5, 6-3
6. Meagan Pearson (POR) def. Maddie Egan (PSU) 6-0, 5-7, 6-4
Doubles
1. Zelic/Pethybridge (POR) def. Strongina/Beukers (PSU) 6-4
2. Ohara/Yoshimura (PSU) vs. Rimona Rouf/Dimitrijevic (POR) 4-5, unfinished
3. Rubio Perez/Pearson (POR) def. Perkins/Egan (PSU) 6-4
Match Notes:
Portland 2-0
Portland State 1-2
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (2,5,1,4,6,3)
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