CSUN Drops 5-2 Decision to Loyola Marymount in Home Contest

Sunday, February 1

Northridge, Calif

11:00 a.m.

California State University at Northridge

LMU

Photo by: Chuck Marvel

CSUN Drops 5-2 Decision to Loyola Marymount in Home Contest

2/1/2026 4:11:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score

NORTHRIDGE, Calif --- The CSUN women's tennis team fell to the Loyola Marymount University Lions, 5-2 Saturday afternoon at Matador Tennis Complex. Angela Ho and Emma Moratalla Sanz each won their singles matches as each moved to 2-0 in singles play for the 2026 season.

HOW IT HAPPENED
DOUBLES
CSUN (1-1) dropped the doubles point to begin the match. LMU's Ada Piestrzynska and Anastasia Bozova defeated Ho and Nicole West, 6-4 to take a half point in the first doubles match to finish. The Lions would clinch the point when Kim-Michaela Zahraj and Helene Schnack bested Madison Shepperson and Tallia Harper by a score of 6-4.

The matchup between Moratalla Sanz and Sandra Arguelles versus Sofia Perovani and Lidia Gonzalez went to 5-3 in favor of CSUN when the match was called due to the point already being awarded to the Lions.

SINGLES
In singles competition, CSUN struck back right away. Ho defeated Gonzalez in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2 on Court No. 1. Ho has yet to lose a set in singles play so far this season. Ho's win gave CSUN its first point of the day as the Matadors evened the score at 1-1.

Ho commented on her stellar start to the season and play today: "I think I just need to trust my game to get wins. I trusted in my ground shots and ground strokes.. Personally today I felt more confident as the match went on. Even when I missed, I knew I was making the right plays. I fed off my teammates' energy. Everyone was cheering each other on, it was really nice."

In the next match, Bozova bested Harper, 6-4, 6-2 on Court No. 4, as the Lions now led 2-1.

LMU (3-2) then earned the next point on Court No. 5. Perovani defeated Sofia Dermenjyan 6-1, 3-6, 6-1. The match was first to go into three sets as CSUN was fighting to tie the match.

Leading 3-1, LMU then clinched the dual as the next match finished in the Lions' favor. Zahraj defeated Annette Robertson in three sets, 1-6, 6-2, 6-1. Robertson won the first set in convincing fashion but couldn't close out Zahraj completely.

Piestrzynska defeated West in a thriller to earn the fifth point for the Lions. West, the grad student from Tarzana, had four different match points against Piestrzynska, but ultimately couldn't close it out. The final score was 1-6, 7-6 (9-7), 10-4 as LMU opened up a 5-1 lead.

The Matadors wouldn't go down without something to build on for the next dual. Moratalla Sanz defeated Schnack in three sets, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, on Court No. 3.
The senior from Valencia Spain commented on her singles performance: "I felt like I was more relaxed as the match went on today." she said. "I had some tough points, but I was able to get that win in the first set. The sun today was a factor for sure, but I saw my teammates encouraging me and that lifted me up. I just told myself to keep going and keep fighting. I started trusting myself and believing in myself, and that was the key for today."

NOTES OF THE GAME

With the defeat, CSUN is now 1-1 on the year
Ho and Moratalla Sanz are now 2-0 to start singles play this season.
CSUN is now 20-18 all time against LMU. The Lions are currently on a three-match win streak.
Three different singles matches went to three sets.

UP NEXT
CSUN next travels to Camarillo, Calif to take on Monmouth University on Feb. 13. First serve is set for Noon at Las Posas Country Club.