FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific women's tennis team played its' first match in five years on Saturday, defeating Dominican 7-0 in the 2019 season opener. FPU took all three doubles' matches to open the afternoon before carrying momentum into singles action and coming away with the clean sweep.  
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Fresno Pacific 7, Dominican 0
Records: FPU (1-0), DUC (0-2)
Location: Haak Tennis Complex | Fresno, Calif.     
 
QUOTABLE: 
"We came in excited because we have waited so long to finally compete as the newest Sunbird team, and that showed on the court today. With such a young team, we have a lot to learn, but I believe we improved steadily, especially on the mental side. Our team is well-conditioned and that played a role for us this afternoon, as well. We've talked about battling with heart, and that's exactly what we did to open the season." – head coach Priscilla Jensen
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• In the top doubles slot, Ioanna Lathouri and Marina Lex were able to take down the Penguins by a final of 6-4. Gaya Solomon and Claudia Iglesias followed with a 6-2 victory before Sanne Brull and Alice di Matteo helped the Sunbirds head to singles without a blemish.
• Lathouri was the first to wrap up her singles match, defeating Dominican's Ofelia Lopez 6-1, 6-0 in the second flight. Brull finished shortly thereafter with an identical score, and di Matteo picked up a 6-2, 6-0 win to give the Blue and Orange a 4-0 lead. 
• Lex came away with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Alex Wartenberg, and Imane Van Veen's 6-1, 7-5 victory pushed the Sunbirds within one point of the sweep.
• The top singles flight was the last to wrap up, but Solomon finished off Taylor Lim by a final of 7-5, 6-4 to close out the afternoon in style for the 'Birds.
 
BEYOND THE BOX:
• Lex is ranked 15th in the West Region according to the ITA's fall rankings.
• Dating back to her time at San Diego Christian, Jensen has won her last three season openers.
 
SOCIAL:
• Twitter - @fputennis
• Instagram - @fputennis
• Facebook - /FPUathletics
 
UP NEXT:
• The Sunbirds hit the road for the first time next weekend, when they take on Sonoma State in the Bay Area. The match is set to begin at 1:00 p.m. on SSU's campus.