Warren Lifts CSUN to 4-3 Victory over Hawai'i in Big West Quarterfinals

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. --- The CSUN women's tennis team (15-5) defeated Hawai'i 4-3 in a Big West Quarterfinal match Friday afternoon at the Big West Championships. In a grueling five-hour match, junior Jessica Warren won a three-set decision in the No. 6 singles draw to propel the Matadors past the Rainbow Wahine.

"I feel extremely proud of my team for persevering and beating a Hawaii squad that we just lost to last week," Warren said. "Winning this match showed me that when you set your mind to something and never stop believing in it, life rewards you. I feel so happy to have won for our two seniors."

Seeded fifth in the tournament after tying with the Rainbow Wahine for fourth in the conference, CSUN and Hawai'i engaged in a arduous match less than a week after playing each other in the Matadors' season finale.

The Matadors captured the doubles point and an early 1-0 advantage after winning two of the three matches in a decisive tiebreaker.

Sophomores Mickey Hsu and Kristen Poei took an 8-7 (1) decision in the top draw to tie the doubles contests at 1-1 and improve to 15-4 in doubles play this season. Warren and senior Criss Rodriguez then clinched the opening point for CSUN with an 8-7 (4) decision in the No. 3 draw to improve to 12-4 in doubles play.

The doubles draw took approximately 90 minutes to complete and set the stage for an epic duel in singles competition.

Hawai'i struck for the first two singles points Friday, winning at the No. 1 and No. 2 draws in straight sets. Poei tied the match at 2-2 with a straight-set victory (6-3, 6-0) in the fifth draw. For the season, Poei is now 14-3 in singles play.

"Today was definitely a test for us and our determination. Every single one of us fought and the results proved we did. Mickey and I were down 4-7 with six match points against us, but we competed to the best of our abilities and won," Poei said. "The momentum carried into my singles match. Everything was working for me and my confidence level was really high. I am just so proud of my team and how hard we fought today."

Rodriguez then put CSUN ahead 3-2 with a 6-1, 7-5 victory in the third draw. She improved to a team-best 16-3 with the victory. Hawai'i tied the match with a victory in the fourth draw.

"I stepped on the court today with one goal, to play my heart out and whatever happens happens. But the way that my team fought today was amazing, specifically Jessica Warren. I hadn't seen this side of her. She fought with everything she had, from tears of joy to tears of pain. And that only shows what a great and strong team we are and the amazing things we can do. I can't wait to play my heart out tomorrow again," Rodriguez said.

That set up Warren in the decisive sixth draw, where she battled to a 7-6 (6), 2-6, 7-5 victory. She improved to 13-3 on the season in singles play.

"Today was a great win for us. We kept battling and battling and Jessica came up absolutely huge in her performance today," CSUN head coach Gary Victor said. "Hawai'i is a very talented, well-coached team. The match was very similar to our meeting last Sunday, except we were able to get the point in doubles. We are looking forward to taking on Long Beach State Saturday."

The Matadors advance to face the top-seeded Long Beach State 49ers in a Big West Semifinal Saturday in Indian Wells, Calif. First serve in doubles play is slated for 9 a.m.

Next Event

Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Mickey Hsu

Kristen Poei

Jessica Warren