SAN DIEGO — There is no better feeling than coming back home. After playing the last few weekends away from Hogan Tennis Center to begin the spring season, the USD women's tennis team relished in its first of seven straight home matches Saturday against the University of Denver Saturday. 

USD brought its energy early, securing the doubles point. That came before three Toreros won in straight sets in singles in 6-0 fashion, leading to a 6-1 dual meet win over the Pioneers.     

In the doubles session, all three matches got to 3-3 ties.  

However, San Diego duo No. 24 Kailey Evans and Claudia de las Heras were able to take a pivotal 5-4 lead over Denver's Andrea Beltran and Marley Lambert, ranked No. 78. 

On court No. 3, things followed suit as the Toreros duo of Kristina Nordikyan and Gabby Gregg took a 5-4 lead of their own on Denver's Hana BecirovicNovak and Natalie Cinkova. 

In the middle court, Denver's Louise Wikander and Claudia Martinez took a 5-3 lead on San Diego's Hannah Read and Anni Puls. 

However, taking those 5-4 leads turned out to be the difference for both Torero pairs as both won in 6-4 fashion to give USD the doubles point and a 1-0 lead heading into singles. 

Singles was a different story early on as all but one match started in favor of the Pioneers with 1-0 first set leads. 

The tide quickly went back into the Toreros' favor. Both Gregg and Read were able to turn their 1-0 deficits into 4-2 leads against Cinkova and Becirovic Novak, respectively. Read would get it to set point, leading to a 6-2 first set win. Gregg was also able to hold off Cinkova, who shortened the lead to 4-3, before the USD freshman was able to win 6-4. 

The only match where USD (4-3) started with the lead was in the battle of ranked players as Evans, ranked No. 26, took a 1-0 lead on No. 106 Andrea Beltran of the Pioneers (1-5). Evans later jumped out to a 3-1 lead to give San Diego its first two-point lead of the afternoon. 

De las Heras was also able to knot her first set of singles at three against Wikander before taking a 5-3 lead and earning set point.  

USD freshman Anni Puls also turned her early first-set deficit into a 5-2 lead, en route to a 6-2 win. Ultimately, the Toreros won five of the six first sets. 

Read was the first to get going in the second set. She continued and elevated her momentum from the first set, jumping out to a 5-0 lead to quickly earn set point before winning the set 6-0 and giving USD its second point of the match.  

Puls, playing next to Read, was able to kindle that same energy, jumping out to a 3-0 second set lead. She would go on to match her doubles partner with a 6-2, 6-0 match win and put USD one singles match win away from taking the dual meet between the two schools. 

The third point of the singles for the Toreros and the match also came in second-set shutout fashion as Evans downed Beltran for a 6-3, 6-0 win and give USD the dual match victory. 

TORERO TIDBITS

• USD takes a 2-1 series lead all-time against the Pioneers. It is also the first match against the University of Denver in 14 years, since the Toreros shut out the Pioneers 7-0 on March 19, 2011 in a home win at nearby Fairbanks Ranch Country Club. 

UP NEXT
The Toreros are back at it tomorrow when they host No. 25 Baylor at 11 a.m. at the Hogan Tennis Center. San Diego will look to extend its winning streak to three against the top-25 team. 

RESULTS

DOUBLES:

1. #24 Kailey Evans/Claudia de las Heras (USD) def. #78 Andrea Beltran/Marley Lambert (DEN), 6-4 
2. Louise Wikander/Claudia Martinez (DEN) vs. Hannah Read/Anni Puls (USD), 5-3 (unfinished)
3. Kristina Nordikyan/Gabby Gregg (USD) def. Hana Becirovic Novak/Natalie Cinkova (DEN), 6-4

SINGLES:

1. #26 Kailey Evans (USD) def. #106 Andrea Beltran (DEN), 6-3, 6-0
2. Claudia de las Heras (USD) def. Louise Wikander (DEN), 6-3, 6-4
3. Marley Lambert (DEN) def. Kristina Nordikyan (USD), 6-3, 7-5 
4. Anni Puls (USD def. Claudia Martinez (DEN) 6-2, 6-0
5. Hannah Read (USD) def. Hana Becirovic Novak (DEN), 6-2, 6-0
6. Gabby Gregg (USD) def. Natalie Cinkova (DEN), 6-4, 7-5

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