Bakersfield Hands SBCC First Loss of the Season

SANTA BARBRA, Calif. – The Santa Barbara City College women's tennis team suffered its first loss of the season on Thursday, falling 7-2 to Bakersfield at Pershing Park.

Head coach Chris Pope acknowledged the uncharacteristic performance from his team.

"We were missing some shots we don't normally miss, and we weren't prepared for the ball to come back as much as it did," Pope said. "It was a good wake-up call that there are some strong teams out there, and we need to be ready for them."

Santa Barbara was swept in doubles, putting the Vaqueros in an 0-3 deficit heading into singles play.

At No. 1 singles, Yoshino Fujita delivered a commanding 6-1, 6-2 victory, while Jana Leowald secured a straight-set win at No. 3 singles, 6-1, 6-3.

"I think the girls felt a little more comfortable in singles," Pope said. "Yoshino and Jana took care of business. They were locked in."

Callie Tzarb and Donatella Biscayart fought through grueling matches but fell just short.

"Callie and Donatella had very long, physical matches with lots of extended rallies," Pope said. "Donatella's singles match lasted well over two hours."

Santa Barbara drops to 2-1 on the season and looks to bounce back on Monday at Ventura College.