Box Score

Rohnert Park, CA -- On a day when the Academy of Art University women's tennis team had to play without their first singles player, Nina Gajdosikova, the rest of the team pulled together and gutted out a 5-4 win over a strong Sonoma State team. The Urban Knights fought through losing two of three doubles matches to win four of six singles matches to win their sixth match in a row to start the 2013 season.

The Knights (6-0) went into Saturday's match with a team doubles record of 14-1, but the Seawolves (4-3) quickly won two of the three doubles. Sara Celma and Chloe Jolliff took down Michelle Dandik Zaale and Lucia Zavarcikova in first singles, and Jenny Johansson and Kinga Kurczbuch fell to their counterparts in third singles for the Knights. Daniela Amelunge Antelo and Amal Ben El Hadj earned the lone doubles point for ART U, defeating  Megan White and Lauren Schaffer 8-4 in the second slot.

With the singles matches holding the path to victory for the Knights, they went to work on the Sonoma State players. Zavarcikova fell in the top singles spot, but Dandik Zaale won in the second slot in straight sets. Amelunge Antelo in the third (6-2, 6-4) and Ben El Hadj in the fourth (6-2, 6-3) stayed victorious on the day, while Johansson's 6-1, 6-0 domination of Lauren Schaffer sealed the victory for the Urban Knights.

"The girls drive the ball off the ground well, but our doubles play has to be more consistent," said head coach Jerry Peach. "Our team play will show the way to future team wins. Today's match proved an axiom for college tennis:  teams with grit pull out wins."

The Knights will be in action again in a week, playing their first two home matches of the season against Fresno Pacific (Feb. 21) and Cal State Stanislaus (Feb. 23). Both matches will be played at the San Francisco Tennis Club.