By Jacob Norling
February 4, 2026
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Westmont Women's Tennis opened their season in electric fashion with a come-from-behind 4-3 over the Cal Lutheran Regals on Wednesday in Santa Barbara. The Warriors dropped an early doubles point after losing on courts two and three, but even after the clinch had been earned by CLU, the court-one Warriors began to sway the day's momentum.
 
In a statistically insignificant set, Sabina Salva and Lauren Gee trailed 5-0. Needing to win five games in a row to even force a sixth, the two did just that. Then, a break to go up 6-5 set the stage for an eventual 7-5 win to inspire the crowd on hand. Playing nearly half an hour after knowing CLU had already clinched the doubles point, Salva and Gee showed no regard for a scoreboard that would be unmoved by their efforts. Instead, with resilience, passion, and eye for the big picture, the two marched on. The tone was set for the rest of the day to come.
 
"It wasn't just that we were down love-five, we just weren't making 'em play," said Westmont head coach Sheila Snyder, who picked up career win number 439 on Wednesday. "We were making very uncharacteristic errors, but then as we started making 'em play, it was just a matter of playing one game at a time.
 
"Once we got going, we started making plays and playing our typical style of doubles. Going into it, I think we were just super nervous about getting this going. But then after we won on court one, in-between doubles and singles, I told the team 'just how those two dug deep, let's use that as our momentum going into singles'. At that point, it was just about everybody taking care of their court."
 
Needing to win four out of six singles matches the Warriors first got on the board thanks to Lauren Gee, who defeated Anya Rajan for the second time on Wednesday, this time in singles by a score of 6-3, 6-3.
 
"Lauren's game has elevated so much since the beginning of the year," reflected Snyder, "but you know it is? It's her confidence. She's just building upon her confidence every single match, and today she beat a really tough opponent."
 
Then came Westmont's seniors, Salva and Justie Spitzer, who allowed things to get truly interesting after wins on three (6-4, 6-4) and five (6-3, 6-3). During that same time frame, CLU picked up wins at line one and line six, making it 3-3 with one final match up for grabs.
 
"It's that senior leadership," said Snyder. "Sabina and Justie have been there before, and they made a commitment to helping us change the mindset of the team this year. We can win. We have the tools to win. It's just about competing.
 
"Sabina was super pumped and had lots of energy, and she beat another great competitor, too. She had to earn every single point. Justie played tough, too. She just kept competing and didn't let up."
 
It all came down to Dos Pueblos grad Ellie Triplett, who had all eyes on her in collegiate debut. Triplett dropped the first set 6-2, but a 6-4 win in the second brought the entire match down to a third set between the freshman and CLU's Grace Balasian.
 
In the end, Triplett began her Westmont career with a memory that may be tough to top, as she defeated Balasian 6-4 to give the Warriors a 4-3 win.
 
"She found a way," said a proud head coach. "There's no doubt she's got to be a little nervous at the end. I mean, how big is that? You have all eyes upon you at that moment. Not only the last match of the day, but that special time where it's also the deciding match of the day. To win that match, it's going to be a memory she will never forget.
 
"Hopefully she will build on that, and use it to give her confidence the rest of the year."
 
Snyder concluded, "I'm just so happy with how we competed today. We showed grit, overcame a flat start, and I'm hoping this is the building blocks to what we're going to be about. We're going to compete no matter who we play, and we're going to have the same mentality.
 
"It's a new era, and we're going to take it to everybody."
 
Westmont's women return to action on Saturday, when they travel down south to take on Whittier at 2:00 p.m.