FRESNO, Calif.- The Fresno Pacific women's tennis team opened the 2021 campaign on Wednesday afternoon, falling 7-0 across town at Fresno State.  
 
QUOTABLE:

• "It was nice to be able to compete again after almost a year of no competition. It's not always the ideal situation being down a player, but like I've told the team from the beginning, no matter the circumstances we will make the best of it. That's what they did today. We lost to a great team, but the fight I saw in our players is a coach's dream. I'm very proud of this team of their grit and heart on the court. If today was any indication of what's ahead this season, we have a bright future." – first-year head coach George Rodriguez

 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:  

• Final: Fresno State 7, Fresno Pacific 0
• Records: Fresno Pacific (0-1), Fresno State (1-0)
• Location: Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center | Fresno, Calif.    

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Alice Di Matteo and Alice Marques fell 6-1 in the second singles flight before the FPU tandem of Mariia Borodii and Lea Falentin narrowly dropped the top flight in a 7-6 tiebreaker.
• Dalia Ahmed defeated Falentin 6-1, 6-3 in #2 singles, and Borodii fell to Deniza Marcinkevica 6-3, 6-2 on Court One to provide the Bulldogs the final point needed to clinch.
• Ella Husrefovic knocked off Sanne Brull in the fifth flight, while Bulldogs Cristian Flaquer and A.C. Hummel picked up victories in #3 and #4 respectively. 

 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:  

• The loss snaps a 16-match regular-season win streak for the Blue and Orange dating back to March of 2019. 

 
UP NEXT:  

• The Sunbirds return to action on Feb. 13, when they head back over to Fresno State to take on the Bulldogs once again. The match is set to begin at 1:00 p.m. 

SUNBIRD SOCIAL:
• Twitter - @fpusunbirds
• Instagram - @fpusunbirds 
• Facebook - /FPUathletics