SAN DIEGO, Calif. --- Seventh-seeded University of Portland Pilots women’s tennis team put up a strong fight Sunday afternoon but fell to fifth-seeded Loyola Marymount 4-2 in the West Coast Conference Championships in San Diego, Calif. The Pilots conclude the tournament with sixth-place. 

Coach Susie Campbell-Gross’ squad finished the regular season with a 7-10 record (1-4 WCC) and closes out the 2009 season with an 8-12 overall record. 

Against LMU, Portland seized the all-important doubles point then competed in singles to a 2-2 situation with the WCC fifth-place at stake. 

Doubles action saw senior Anna Gullickson and sophomore Stephanie Fuchs win 8-4 at the No. 3. Junior Megan Sporndli and sophomore Lacey Pflibsen then squeaked out an 8-6 victory at the No. 1. 

Singles play started with setbacks for senior No. 3 Jenna Tanzer and sophomore No. 4 Fuchs. A win courtesy of sophomore No. 5 Stefanie Doolittle kept the Pilots in the match bringing the dual to 2-2. 

From there, the deciding match saw Sporndli claim a first set victory 6-3. Jasmin Heckel rebounded to win the second set 6-2 and then the third 6-3 to seal the win for the Lions. 

Doolittle finished the tournament with the best singles record for the Pilots (2-1) while the doubles duo of Sporndli and Pflibsen had the best doubles record (2-1). 

The Pilots’ sixth-place finish betters last season’s eighth-place. 

All the results from this weekend can be seen by visiting the WCC Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championship Tournament Central page at www.wccsports.com. The 2009 championship is a unique event as it is the first-ever dual event in championship history. 

No. 5 Loyola Marymount 4, No. 7 Portland 2
Barnes Tennis Center 
San Diego, Calif. 
April 19, 2009 

Singles
1. Razloznik, LMU vs. Pflibsen, POR - DNF
2. Heckel, LMU def. Sporndli, POR - 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
3. Pironkova, LMU def. Tanzer, POR - 6-0, 6-2
4. Pringle, LMU def. Fuchs, POR - 6-1, 6-1
5. Doolittle, POR def. Morgan, LMU - 6-2, 6-3
6. La Porte, LMU def. Gullickson, POR - 6-4, 7-6
(order of finish: 3, 4, 5, 2, 6) 

Doubles
1. Sporndli/Pflibsen, POR def. Pringle/Nixon, LMU - 8-6
2. Heckel/Pironkova, LMU def. Tanzer/Doolittle, POR - 8-3
3. Gullickson/Fuchs, POR def. Razloznik/Morgan, LMU - 8-4
(order of finish: 2, 3, 1)