No. 17 Texas Tech Women's Tennis Shuts Out No. 60 Oregon 4-0

The No. 17 Texas Tech women’s tennis team picked up a 4-0 victory over No. 60 Oregon Saturday at McLeod Tennis Center to open its dual match season and secure its spot in the ITA Kickoff Weekend championship match.

Tech (1-0) advances to take on No. 58 Illinois, a 4-3 winner over No. 30 Virginia Tech. Sunday’s first serve is set for 1 p.m. with the Lady Raiders one win away from appearing in the program’s first-ever ITA National Indoor Championships.

The Raider Racquets, the new Texas Tech fan group, invite fans to come out to McLeod Tennis Center tomorrow to support the Lady Raiders. The Raider Racquets are a fan lead cheering section dedicated to supporting both Texas Tech Tennis programs. Membership is completely free for all fans and members can earn prizes throughout the year simply by attending and supporting Texas Tech Tennis. As an added bonus, all fans who sign up at the match tomorrow will receive a free Raider Racquet t-shirt.

Texas Tech relied on the depth of its lineup to capture Saturday’s win. The Lady Raiders received doubles victories from courts two and three in addition to two of their three singles wins from the No. 5 and No. 6 positions.

“I think the thing I was most impressed about was how we played doubles at two and three,” Texas Tech head coach Todd Petty said. “It’s been our emphasis right from the get-go, and I thought we played really well in those positions. I think we had a case of first match nerves. Doubles started pretty slow, but I’ll give Oregon credit on that, too. They came out fired up, and they were loud and intense. It kind of got us on our heels early. We responded well, but we’re going to have to grow up fast and get better as a group because tomorrow isn’t going to be any easier.”

The Lady Raiders jumped out to the early 1-0 lead with the doubles point. Tech’s Felicity Maltby and Sabrina Federici downed Marlou Kluiving and Shweta Sangwan for a 6-2 triumph on court three. The duo took control of the frame and ripped off four straight games with the set even at 1-1.

On court two, Tech’s Gabriela Talaba and Sarah Dvorak captured a 6-3 victory against Keenan Johnson and Christi Woodson to seal the point for the Lady Raiders. With the score 4-3, Talaba and Dvorak claimed the final two games to tuck away the doubles point.

Tech’s top doubles pair and the No. 25 doubles tandem of Lynn Kiro and Alex Valenstein trailed Nia Rose and Alyssa Tobita by a 4-2 margin when play was halted.

The Lady Raiders extended their lead to 2-0 with an efficient 6-2, 6-1 win courtesy of No. 77 Talaba against Rose at the top of the lineup. Talaba broke through in the first set after it was even at 2-2 and took the final four games. In the second set, Talaba led 2-1 and rattled off four straight wins to capture the set and match.

Texas Tech made it a 3-0 advantage five minutes later on court five where Federici registered a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Woodson. Federici seized the momentum by rolling off three straight games with the score at 1-1 in the second set.

The Lady Raiders captured their fourth point on court six from Malby, who worked her way to a 7-5, 6-3 win. Trailing 5-4, Maltby dialed up the final three games to grab a one-set edge. She consolidated the momentum by jumping out a 3-0 lead in set two before winning by a 6-3 margin.

“When you go over and watch the film of this match, we’ll talk a little bit about situations where we got tight and played the score instead of just playing free,” Petty said. “It’s just about maturing and getting back on the court. Some of these girls played pretty well, and some of these girls probably will want to forget this match and move on.”

Texas Tech meets No. 58 Illinois Sunday with a spot in the ITA National Indoor Championships on the line. First serve is slated for 1 p.m. CT. Admission is free to McLeod Tennis Center.

Visit www.TexasTech.com for the latest news and information on the women’s tennis program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/TechWomensTennis and @TexasTechTennis on Twitter.

No. 17 Texas Tech 4, No. 60 Oregon 0

01/23/16 at Lubbock, Texas (McLeod Tennis Center)

Doubles

1. No. 25 Lynn Kiro/Alex Valenstein (Texas Tech) vs. Nia Rose/Alyssa Tobita (Oregon): 2-4, unfinished

2. Gabriela Talaba/Sarah Dvorak (Texas Tech) defeats Keenan Johnson/Christi Woodson (Oregon): 6-3

3. Felicity Maltby/Sabrina Federici (Texas Tech) defeats Marlou Kluiving/Shweta Sangwan (Oregon): 6-2

Singles

1. No. 77 Gabriela Talaba (Texas Tech) defeats Nia Rose (Oregon): 6-2, 6-1

2. Lynn Kiro (Texas Tech) vs. Keenan Johnson (Oregon): 3-6, 5-3, unfinished

3. Sarah Dvorak (Texas Tech) vs. Shweta Sangwan (Oregon): 6-4, 2-2, unfinished

4. Alex Valenstein (Texas Tech) vs. Alyssa Tobita (Oregon): 6-4, 4-2, unfinished

5. Sabrina Federici (Texas Tech) defeats Christi Woodson (Oregon): 6-2, 6-3