Cal Poly women’s tennis trumped No. 75-ranked Hawaii (8-7, 5-2 Big West) 5-2 on Sunday, Apr. 3 at the Mustang Tennis Complex.
This win extended Cal Poly’s (12-4, 5-0 Big West) win streak to seven matches and moved them to 5-0 in the Big West atop the conference.
The green and gold dominated in doubles play. No. 2 redshirt sophomores Delanie Dunkle and Melissa LaMette shut out their competition with a 6-0 win. The pairing is 8-3 on the season together.
The No. 3 duo freshman Peyton Dunkle and German graduate Laura Bente clinched the point on a 6-1 victory. Since head coach Katharina Winterhalter switched Peyton Dunkle and Bente together, they have gone 6-0.
The No. 1 pairing of redshirt juniors Emily Ackerman and Kim Bhunu was down 2-5 but did not finish play since the other two pairings secured the doubles victory.
Bente continued to ride her wave from the doubles win into singles competition. At the No. 2 spot, she bageled Hawaii 6-0 in set one and followed with a 6-2 win. No. 3 LaMette’s sets were up and down. She took set one 6-1, then Hawaii’s Ana Vilcek won 1-6 to force set three. Despite the second set loss, Lamette came out fiery, winning 6-0.
LaMette is 10-5 overall, going 6-1 throughout the team’s seven-match win streak. She has won four straight.
No. 6 Peyton Dunkle won her match with 6-4 and 6-3 victories. The true freshman has the best singles record on the team at 10-2.
LaMette and Peyton Dunkle are both tied in the lead with 10 wins each in singles play.
Hawaii crawled back on the scoresheet at the No. 4 and No. 1 spot. Regardless, these points could not win them the match. No. 4 Ackerman lost 4-6, but tied up play with a 6-3 third set. The third set was retired at 4-1.
No. 1 Bhunu went three sets: 3-6, 6-4, 3-6. She is 9-6 on the season and this is her first solo loss throughout the win streak. Delanie Dunkle at No. 5 battled for a three-set comeback victory. Delanie Dunkle, like her sister Peyton, is on a six-match win streak.
Hawaii has now suffered back-to-back losses, both in Big West play, to UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly. They lost both matches 5-2.
Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara sit at one and two, respectively, in the Big West standings. Hawaii is in third now after the skid.
The Mustangs will continue their homestand with a matchup against UC Riverside on Friday, Apr. 8 at the Mustang Tennis Complex. Riverside is at the bottom of the Big West standings and the Mustangs hold an 11-0 record all-time against the team.