SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Dominican women's tennis fell 5-2 Sunday afternoon to Menlo at Castellucci Family Tennis Center.

Lorenza Foster-Simbulan and Maria Gavrilov got the Penguins (5-3) off to a strong start as they held off the Oaks' (4-2) Nicolova Polya and Gloria Jovic 6-4 for a victory at No. 2 doubles. Yousra Hidass and Nia Macay leveled the segment as they claimed a 6-4 victory in No. 3 doubles for Menlo. The top court was a seesaw battle between Kaylee Lopez and Sofia Acuña of Dominican and the Oaks' Zofia Dziewiecka and Livia Harper. After 12 games the match remained tied and headed to a tiebreaker which was equally contested with Dziewiecka and Harper gaining just enough breathing room to hold on for a 7-6 (4) victory. 

Dziewiecka rode her momentum into singles earning a 6-2, 6-2 victory on the top court to extend the team lead. Gloria Jovic pushed the match within a point of the clinch as she won No. 5 singles 6-2, 6-2. The Penguins battled back as Kaylee Lopez notched her second victory of the day with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Harper. Deepalakshmi Vanaraja closed the gap further as she won 6-1, 7-5 as Dominican tried to find a path back. The final two matches were razor thing with Hidass barely holding off Acuña 7-5, 7-6 (5) for the clinching point for the Oaks and Ombeline Robilliart added a 7-5, 6-3 victory to conclude the match.

Dominican will have some time to rest and get healthy before it takes on Illinois State at noon PST Sunday at Castellucci Family Tennis Center.