Gallagher Pulls Out Tiebreak For 4-3 Husky Win

SEATTLE – There was nobody Head Coach Robin Stephenson would have rather had with the match on the line than Sedona Gallagher. The junior needed a few match point chances but she came through in the end and secured a 4-3 win for the Huskies over Arizona in the first outdoor match of the season at Bill Quillian Stadium. Gallagher got the Huskies (8-3, 1-2 Pac-12) their first Pac-12 win with a victory in a third-set tiebreak.
 
"There's nobody we'd rather have out there than Sedona," said Stephenson. "Really impressed with the her toughness. There were a lot of ups and downs in that match, and to be able to hold on and stay mentally tough at the end, credit to her and credit to Arizona for battling so hard."
 
Gallagher outlasted Abby Amos at the No. 3 singles spot, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (8-6). The junior had match points up 5-3 in the second set but Amos saved them and rallied to win the set. Gallagher had another match point on a deciding point at 5-4 in the third set, but she persevered through to the end in the tiebreak.
 
"It's our first Pac-12 win and every Pac-12 match is going to be a battle," said Stephenson. "It looked like we were cruising there for a little bit, with match points on two courts at the exact same time but couldn't get them. Arizona competed really well to stay in there. It took a lot of mental toughness, a lot of grit, a lot of resilience at the end, all the things we pride ourselves on."
 
The Huskies had taken the doubles point and then Vanessa Wong rolled to a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 1 singles to make it 2-0. A win from Sarah-Maude Fortin, 6-4, 6-4, over Jelena Lukic at the second spot put the Huskies up 3-1, and then Gallagher and Zoey Weil both had match points at nearly the same moments on courts three and four in their second sets. But Arizona saved them on both courts and would come back to force third sets and keep things in doubt, ultimately tying it at 3-3 until Gallagher came through.
 
Washington will have a big test on Sunday at 12 noon, hosting 26th-ranked Arizona State.
 
 
Washington Women's Tennis
March 12, 2021
Bill Quillian Stadium | Seattle, Wash.
 
#40 Washington – 4
Arizona – 3
 
Singles
1. (#74) Vanessa Wong (UW) def. Kayla Wilkins (ARIZ) – 6-1, 6-2
2. Sarah-Maude Fortin (UW) def. Jelena Lukic (ARIZ) – 6-4, 6-4
3. Sedona Gallagher (UW) def. Abby Amos (ARIZ), 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (6)
4. Talya Zandberg (ARIZ) def. Zoey Weil (UW), 0-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3
5. Gitte Heynemans (ARIZ) def. Tara Chilton (UW), 2-6, 6-2, 6-2
6. Khim Iglupas (ARIZ) def. Yolanda Lin (UW), 7-6 (1), 6-4
Order of Finish: 1, 6, 2, 5, 4, 3
 
Doubles
1. Wong/Gallagher (UW) vs. Heynemans/Iglupas (ARIZ) – 5-5, DNF
2. Weil/Lin (UW) def. Lukic/Zandberg (ARIZ) – 6-3
3. Fortin/Chilton (UW) def. Amos/Wilkins (ARIZ) – 6-3
Order of Finish: 2, 3