Aggies fall to the Wildcats after a close match 4-3.
LOGAN — After a loss against Brigham Young University on Feb. 2, the Aggies took on Weber State University for another in-state rivalry. They lost in a close match, 4-3.
For the doubles matches, Aggies Zeynep Ozturk and Laura Hilario beat Wildcats Ana Morett and Megan Davies, 6-4. Their order of finish was third.
The second match consisted of Aggies Niyati Kukreti and Savannah Johnson against Wildcats Dylan Lolofie and Sicely Ferreira for a final score of 6-3 in favor of the Wildcats. This was the first score for the doubles.
In the final doubles match, it was Aggies Lisa Küng and Ana Sanchez against Wildcats Kenadee Semenik and Jessica Hill. This was the second score for the doubles in favor of the Wildcats, 6-2.
In the first singles match, it was Davies against Küng with Davies winning 6-4 and 6-1.
The second match was Morett and Ozturk. Though a tough battle for Ozturk, she won in the set with scores at 6-4 and 6-2. This was the fourth overall point for singles matches.
For the third match, it was Lolofie against Hilario. In three sets, the two of them battled it out; Hilario came out on top with a score of 6-3 in the third set. This was the third overall point for the singles matches.
The fourth match was Wildcat Ferreira against Sanchez. Ferreira swept Sanchez for a score of 6-3 in each set. This was the second overall point for singles matches.
The fifth match for singles was Semenik against Aggie Indya Nespor. Nespor dominated the two sets they played with scores of 6-4 and 6-2. This was the fifth point for singles matches.
At this point the overall score was 3-3, and it all came down to the sixth match between first-year Johnson against Wildcat Li Yang Ping An. An intense battled ensued between the two with Ping An winning the first set 6-4. She got up early in the second set; however, Johnson came back to win the second, 6-4. Johnson couldn’t seem to lose as she started the third set off hot 3-0, but Ping An started to make a comeback and made the score 3-2.
The Aggie fans and teammates would have one person cheer “Utah” and the rest respond with “State.” Then the Wildcats would take their turn, one person cheering “Weber” and the rest responding with “State.”
The tension in the air between the two teams was fiery, but this didn’t stop either player from keeping their composure during this match.
Ping An eventually overtook Johnson with a score of 5-4. Johnson needed to win out to win this match. Although both players played hard, Ping An came out on top for a final third set score of 6-4.
The overall score was 4-3 in favor the Wildcats. This is the most intense game for the Aggies this season.
“We fought really hard. Obviously, you know, we started off pretty slow in our doubles, so I think we dug ourselves into a hole there,” coach Veronika Golanova said in a postgame interview.
In between points in Johnson’s match, Golanova would talk to her about different strategies she should use for the following points.
“Just take care of the next point, just kind of think in the moment,” she said.
As a walk-on first year, this was Johnson’s debut to collegiate sports. She spoke on what she focused on during the final set of the match.
“I was kind of just trying to focus on the court instead of what was going on up here,” Johnson said, pointing to where the crowd sat.
Johnson thought she handled the pressure well, and she even enjoyed having the whole thing come down to her. This didn’t stop her from thinking she could do better next time she was on the court.
“I wish I could have pulled it out,” she said.