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SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — On Thursday, Dominican University of California's Jamie Fernandez performed the Star Stangled Banner at center court before the start of the Pacific West Conference Women's Tennis Championships.

On Friday, she performed even better, with help from her doubles partner.

The Lady Penguins' senior rallied from 4-3 deficit to win her first set 7-5 over Chaminade's Natalie Phanphengdy and was leading 5-2 in the second set of their No. 4 singles battle when the match was stopped as the fifth-seeded Silverswords clinched the victory, defeating Dominican 5-2 in the consolation semifinals at the Marin Tennis Club. Earlier Fernandez and her No. 3 doubles partner, freshman Jobeth Pascual, outlasted Chaminade's Shayla Hosaka and Isel Barba 8-3 when Fernandez finished the match with a winner at the net to cap a slow-paced, lob-filled battle.

“That was the hardest match of my life,” Fernandez said.

Fortunately, Fernandez made it easier for Pascual. They were in danger of losing grip on their No. 3 doubles match, after the Silverswords broke their serve at 4-3. But Dominican broke back then Pascual delivered a beautiful drop shot at the net that put the Lady Penguins ahead 6-3 and back in control of the match.

The key to the comeback was a keyword. Butterflies.

Fernandez used that word to remind her freshman teammate to remain strong in the wake of adversity and look at the bright side.
“Be calm. Be happy. Stay positive,” Fernandez said.

Pascual took that to heart and mind in her No. 5 singles match. She was trailing 2-1 in the first set against Barba but recovered, regrouped and won 11 consecutive games to claim a 6-2, 6-0 victory. She credited Fernandez -- and butterflies.

“I had to remind myself,” Pascual said. “But it was her voice.”

For Pascual, it was a significant achievement. Though a freshman, she won her singles and doubles match on the same day in her first PacWest tournament.

“It's a big deal,” Pascual said.  “When I came (to Dominican and NCAA Div. II tennis), it was a completely different level from high school. These girls (teammates) astonished me when I first started practicing with them. I put a lot of hard work into practice and I came a long way.”

So did Fernandez and the Lady Penguins. Dominican (2-12) lost to a Chaminade team (6-9) that was nationally ranked by a score of 7-2 the last time they played – on February 11 at the Grand Canyon University Tournament.

In the rematch, the Lady Penguins gave the Silverswords all they could handle. Dominican won at No. 3 doubles and appeared to seize the momentum at No. 1 doubles, too, when Irina Morozova and Gaby Verspieren battled back and broke Chaminade's Yanita Arnaudova and Yuka Kondo in the 11th game. Verspieren's ground stroke winner down the line made it 15-40 and Morozova served out the win, bringing the Lady Penguins within a point at 5-6.

But the Silverswords won eight of the next nine points in the match to prevail 8-5.

Morozova, in her No. 1 singles match against the Bulgarian Arnaudova, the 47th ranked player in the nation in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, lost the first set but was on the verge of winning the second set, serving at 5-2. But Morozova, who lost 6-0, 6-1 the last time she played Arnaudova, never had a chance to finish the set as the Silverswords won the fifth and decisive set at No. 6 singles.

Thus the Lady Penguins will play Dixie State in the seventh-place match at Terra Linda High School on Saturday at 11:30 a.m.

The championship match on Saturday, which will begin at 1:00 p.m. at Marin Tennis Club, will feature BYU-Hawaii, the No. 1 ranked team in the nation in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association for NCAA Division II, playing fifth-ranked and second-seeded Hawai'i Pacific University. The Seasiders, 25-0 this season, defeated the 42nd-ranked and fourth-seeded Academy of Art of San Francisco 5-0 on Friday as I-Hsuan “Annie” Hwang, the No. 1 ranked player in ITA, was leading Kunkanda “Cartoon” Phukchampa of the Urban Knights 6-0, 5-0 in her singles match after she and her doubles partner, Shoazhuo “Sherry” Liu – BYU-Hawaii's No.1  ranked tandem in the country – stopped ArtU's Phukchampa and Jenny Johnson 8-0.

ArtU will play Grand Canyon University, the 13th ranked team in the nation, in the third-place match at 3:00 p.m at MTC.