HOUSTON – The Toreros rebounded nicely from a loss to No. 2 Texas A&M Friday with a power-five win Saturday, 4-3 in a good battle over the Arizona Wildcats. 
 
Despite losing 6-1 to the Aggies, the Toreros energy started strong against the Wildcats winning 4-3, to split the road trip in the Lone Star State. 

In doubles play, the Toreros No. 38-ranked duo of seniors Kailey Evans and Claudia de las Heras fell to Arizona's 52nd-ranked pairing, 3-6. However, USD rebounded on the other courts. San Diego was able to grab the edge narrowly and come out on top 6-4 at both No. 2 and N. 3 doubles to claim the doubles point.  
 
In singles, Evans, ranked No. 31, jumped out to a 5-1 lead, en route to a 6-1 first set win against Usereau, ranked No. 50. In the second set, Evans continued to dominate and never looked back for a dominating 6-1, 6-0 win and gave USD its first point of singles and second of the dual match. 
 
After being tight early in the first set, Torero freshman Gabby Gregg was able to find some cushion against Arizona's Zoya Chulak, jumping out to a 5-2 lead before winning the opening set. However, Chulak got back into the match with back-to-back points before Gregg secured a 6-4 set win and also secured a 6-3 second set win to be victorious.  

De las Heras kept her momentum going into singles, winning the first set 6-3 against Castillo-Meza. The Torero senior jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the second set, before the set was all square at 5-5. She then scored the next four points to take a 6-5 lead. 
 
Ultimately, the second set went into a tiebreak, the second of the day. De las Heras took a 4-2 lead before she went soft along the baseline to increase her tiebreak lead to three. On the third match point, Puls prevailed to win the tiebreak 7-5 and the match 6-3, 7-6.  
 
Puls was the first to build a two-game lead across the six singles matches, jumping out to a 3-0 lead on Tuhten. However, Tuhren was able to get back in the match, taking the next four points and the lead. The Torero freshman stopped the bleeding to tie the set at 4-4. After a back-and-forth ending to the first set, the Torero senior gutted out a tiebreak win for a 7-6 first set win. 
 
However, Puls' momentum ended as Tuhten would win the set in 6-1 fashion. Although the dual match had already wrapped up, the two played a third set in a tiebreak setting with Tuhten winning the battle 12-10.
 
Up next
The Toreros return to America's Finest City for the next seven matches, the first six are at home at the Hogan Tennis Center, beginning with facing Denver on Saturday, Feb. 8 beginning at 10 a.m..
 
Results 
 
Doubles

1. #52 Midori Castillo-Meza/Martyna Ostrzygalo (ARIZ) def. #38 Kailey Evans/Claudia de las Heras (USD) 6-3
2. Anni Puls/Hannah Read (USD) def. Belen Nevenhoven/Josie Usereau (ARIZ) 6-4
3. Gabby Gregg/Kristina Nordikyan (USD) def. Zoya Chulak/Teja Tirunelveli (ARIZ) 6-4

Singles
1. #31 Kailey Evans (USD) def. #50 Josie Usereau (ARIZ) 6-1, 6-0
2. Claudia de las Heras (USD) def. #74 Midori Castillo-Meza (ARIZ) 6-3, 7-6 (7-5)
3. Martyna Ostrzygalo (ARIZ) def. Kristina Nordikyan (USD) 6-2, 7-5
4. Tanvi Narendran (ARIZ) def. #105 Hannah Read (USD) 6-2, 6-2
5. Danielle Tuhten (ARIZ) def. Anni Puls (USD) 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, [12-10]
6. Gabby Gregg (USD) def. Zoya Chulak (ARIZ) 6-4, 6-3

Order of finish – Doubles: 1, 3, 2; Singles 1, 3, 4, 2, 5, 6