Treat’s Three-Set Thriller Leads Riverside to Victory

It came down to the top singles showdown on Tuesday afternoon as the Riverside City College women's tennis team hit the road to face off against the Fullerton College Hornets. Despite Fullerton playing short handed, the Tigers were in for a battle in heated conference competition.

The Hornets handled doubles play despite surrendering one match to RCC via forfeit. Freshman duo Keeley Arendt and Semaj Walker were paired up for the first time in their careers, but fell 4-8. Freshman squad Samantha Treat and Daisie Flores had a tight battle at the second doubles position, but dropped a nail bitter, 7-9.

Nevertheless, the Tigers rebounded in singles play. Arendt finished her match in under an hour and pocketed a dub by the final score of 6-0, 6-2. Freshman Marvonna Vaxter and Walker each lost their matches in two sets, so the pressure was on for Riverside.

Freshman Kalena Yanez and Treat found themselves in intense matches that drifted into three-sets.

After dropping the first set 3-6, Yanez remained poised and battled back in the second set to win 6-2. She sealed the deal in the third set with the score reading 6-4.

Treat, who has played consistently at the top of the singles lineup, was dueling with one of her most formidable opponents of the season. She narrowly won the first set in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (9-7), then promptly dropped the following set 1-6.

The stage was set for a three-set thriller that determined the match and overall outcome. Under visible pressure and fatigue, Treat was able to work towards a 6-4 third set win, thus handing the Tigers a 5-4 win.

Treat shared her thoughts following her clutch win.