SPOKANE, Wash. – The Portland women's tennis pulled out a 4-3 comeback win Saturday in West Coast Conference action at the Stevens Center. The Pilots (9-8, 4-3 WCC) have now won three consecutive matches and clinched a spot in the WCC Championships, while the Bulldogs (8-11, 0-6) dropped their third 4-3 loss in league play this season.

"This was one of the best experiences of my entire tennis career, both as a player and coach," Portland head coach Filip Zivkovic said. "The implications of this match could not have been overstated, we all understood that a win gets us into the WCC Championships and keeps Gonzaga out. Therefore, the pressure was big for both teams."

Portland had to battle from behind all day but came up big in singles to take the road win. Gonzaga went up early by taking the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. The No. 3 Pilots tandem of Kylie Canubida and Meagan Pearson came back from 5-0 down and were trailing 6-5 when the match was abandoned.

"Megan and Kylie set the stage for how the match was going to play out by battling in doubles," Zivkovic said. "They showed us all that we were going to have a mental edge today."

A win at No. 6 singles gave the Bulldogs at 2-0 lead before Alaia Rubio Perez put the Pilots on the board with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Emily Robertson at the top of the lineup. Gonzaga made it 3-1 win another singles win at No. 4 setting up the comeback thriller.

Dariya Radulova defeated Diana Yanotovskaya 6-2, 6-3 at No. 2 and then Nadine Arbaizar Martinez was a 6-3, 6-3 winner versus Sveva Zerpelloni at No. 3 to tie the overall team score.

"Alaia played the match of her career and dominated an All-WCC player from start-to-finish," Zivkovic said. "Dariya showed so much toughness. She was playing through a lot of pain but willed herself to a huge win. Nadine has been a force for us at the number three position all year long. She played another great match and pulled out a convincing win to put us in amazing situation."

The deciding point came down to No. 4 singles with Maria Galatescu facing Rose Hayes. Galatescu took the opening set 6-3 but dropped a second set tiebreaker. She took control early in the third and was able to clinch with a 6-2 win in the deciding set.

"Maria got the opportunity to be a hero today and close out the match," noted Zivkovic. "It is the hardest position to be in and she played an incredible third set to get us a much-deserved win. I am so proud of this group and how they came together this season. The success we had this year is a testament to all the hard work they put in over the last eight months. 

"We would like to dedicate this win to our fellow teammate, Lexie Flores. We all wish her a speedy recovery; this one was for her." 

Portland has two remaining regular season matches, but clinched a spot in the six-team 2026 WCC Championships held at Green Valley Country Club in Fairfield, Calif. April 23-25 with Saturday's win.

The Pilots continue WCC play at Washington State on Sunday at 11 a.m. before hosting Seattle U for Senior Day on April 18 at 3 p.m. Visit PortlandPilots.com for live scoring and video links.

Portland 4, Gonzaga 3
Spokane, Wash. (Stevens Center)
April 11, 2026

Singles
1. Alaia Rubio Perez (POR) def. Emily Robertson (GON) 6-1, 6-2
2. Dariya Radulova (POR) def. Diana Yanotovskaya (GON) 6-2, 6-3
3. Nadine Arbaizar Martinez (POR) def. Sveva Zerpelloni (GON) 6-3, 6-3
4. Maria Galatescu (POR) def. Rose Hayes (GON) 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-2
5. Elizabeth Tindera (GON) def. Meagan Pearson (POR) 6-2, 6-4
6. Brooke Bittner (GON) def. Kylie Canubida (POR) 6-3, 6-0

Doubles
1. Ella Nielsen/Robertson (GON) def. Rubio Perez/Galatescu (POR) 6-2
2. Hayes/Zerpelloni (GON) def. Radulova/Arbaizar Martinez (POR) 6-4
3. Pearson/Canubida (POR) vs. Tindera/Yanotovskaya (GON) 5-6, unfinished

Match Notes:
Portland 9-8, 4-3 WCC
Gonzaga 8-11, 0-6 WCC
Order of Finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (6,1,5,2,3,4)

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