Cal Poly Women’s Tennis’ early dominance continued on the road this weekend, as the team won both games against Santa Clara University and San Jose State, extending their winning streak to five games.
On Friday, the Mustangs (6-3) defeated the Broncos (3-7) 5-2, and the next day, finished 5-2 once more against the Spartans (5-3).
Cal Poly, recently ranked 64th in the country, opened their dual against Santa Clara with early momentum and never let go.
The Mustangs secured the doubles point to take control from the outset, with two wins by senior Kennedy Buntrock and sophomore Jessica MacCallum at No. 1 doubles, and juniors Candela Aparisi and Natalie Lynch at No. 2 doubles.
Buntrock and MacCallum set the tone with a dominant 6-1 win, improving to 3-2 as a pair this season, and Aparisi and Lynch clinched the point with 6-3 after No. 3 fell through against Santa Clara.
Santa Clara briefly evened the score at 1-1 with a win at No. 1 singles, but the Mustangs responded quickly with three straight-set victories to silence the Broncos and secure the match.
Senior Alexandra Ozerets cruised to a 6-2, 6-0 win at No. 3 singles, improving to 6-2 on the year and also elevating the Mission Viejo native to No. 3 all-time in program history in career dual singles wins.
After Ozerets’ decisive win, Lynch extended Cal Poly’s lead with a 6-2, 6-4 victory at No. 4 singles, pushing the Mustangs ahead 3-1.
Aparisi then sealed the match at No. 2, earning a 6-3, 6-4 victory to clinch the dual. With the wins, both Lynch and Aparisi improved to 5-3 on the season.
Santa Clara narrowed the margin with a win at No. 5, but freshman Tia Bonita Jakupovic-Kljako finished the afternoon on a high note. Competing at No. 6, she battled to a 7-5, 3-6, 1-0 (10-5) victory to secure her first career singles win and cap the Mustangs’ 5-2 triumph.
Early success continues Sunday
Determined to keep their winning streak, the Mustangs started off the next day at San Jose with a bang, winning all three doubles matches to receive the first point of the match.
Aparisi and Lynch opened with a commanding 6-1 win at No. 2 doubles, improving to 6-2 as a tandem this season.
Redshirt junior Amy Leather and Jakupovic-Kljako followed by clinching the doubles point with a 6-4 victory at No. 3.
Shortly after, Buntrock and MacCallum completed the sweep at No. 1 with another 6-4 win, moving to 4-2 on the year.
In singles, Ozerets continued her dominant run by rolling into a 6-0, 6-3 victory at No. 4 to give the Mustangs a 2-0 lead, improving to 7-2 overall and extending her winning streak to five matches.
The win also moved Ozerets into a tie for second place on Cal Poly’s all-time dual singles wins list with 51, matching Carol Erickson (2004-07). She now sits just one victory shy of the program record of 52 set by Peyton Dunkle last season.
MacCallum pushed the lead to 3-0 with a 6-3, 6-2 straight-set win at No. 2. San Jose State answered with a point at No. 6, but Aparisi clinched the match for the second straight outing, battling to a 6-2, 7-5 win at No. 3. The victory marked her fifth in a row and improved her record to 6-3 this season.
Buntrock then capped the day with the Mustangs’ final singles win with an intense comeback. After dropping the opening set 6-2 at No. 1, she rallied to take the second in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-2), before dominating the super tiebreaker 10-3, leading the senior to improve to 7-1 on the year.
The Mustangs are off to San Diego for their third and final weekend on the road in a row, before returning for the last academic week of the quarter.
Cal Poly will be playing San Diego State University on Friday, March 6, and then UC San Diego on Saturday, March 7, hoping to keep their winning streak and bring two more wins home to Ronca Tennis Center.