DAVIS, Calif. — In the inaugural meeting between the programs, UC Davis and Northern Arizona went back and forth at Marya Welch Tennis Center, but the Lumberjacks prevailed in a deciding 4-3 match.
After a two-week hiatus, UC Davis once again took the doubles point to start the match, defeating a strong NAU doubles lineup. Playing without Ivan Thamma, the Aggies completely altered the doubles lineup, featuring David Goulak and Daniel Landa at No. 1, Chethan Swanson and Nil Giraldez at No. 2, and Dariush Jalali and Alex Scemanenco at No. 3. In his doubles debut as an Aggie, Giraldez earned his first doubles dual win as the first match off, putting UC Davis in position to take the point. Although the No. 1's battled, the Lumberjack duo of Tim Handel and Ruben Montano proved their team-high win stat at the top of the lineup, leaving the point up to No. 3 to decide. In their first match together, Jalali and Scemanenco stepped up their game to pull off a huge 7-5 victory.
In singles play, NAU tied the score with a win at No. 6, while Arjith Jayaraman recorded his first win of the season at the No. 5 spot, winning six straight games in the second set to dig his way out of a 0-3 hole, and defeated Tom Fisher in straight sets. The Lumberjacks went on to take the 3-2 lead with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 singles, with No. 2 and No. 4 locked in third set battles. After dropping the second set, Landa regained his momentum, overcoming a 3-4 deficit by winning three straight games, and the match, in the third set, tying up the team score at 3-3.
Giraldez went about his match opposite from Landa, dropping the first set before fighting to win the second over Lucas Taylor, who had won five out of his last six matches at No. 2. Although Giraldez dug deep in the third set, NAU emerged victorious, and improved to 11-6 on the year with its eight straight win.
With the loss, UC Davis falls to 9-6, and will continue its homestand this Sunday, March 31, hosting Gonzaga at 11 AM.
Northern Arizona 4, UC Davis 3
Friday, March 29, 2019
Davis, Calif.
Doubles
1. Tim Handel/Ruben Montano (NAU) def. David Goulak/Daniel Landa (UCD) 6-4
2. Nil Giraldez/Chethan Swanson (UCD) def. Chris Steele/Tom Fisher (NAU) 6-4
3. Alex Scemanenco/Dariush Jalali (UCD) def. Facundo Tumosa/Lucas Taylor (NAU) 7-5
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3
Singles
1. Tim Handel (NAU) def. David Goulak (UCD) 6-4, 6-2
2. Lucas Taylor (NAU) def. Nil Giraldez (UCD) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
3. Facundo Tumosa (NAU) def. Chethan Swanson (UCD) 7-6, 7-6
4. Daniel Landa (UCD) def. Chris Steele (NAU) 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
5. Arjith Jayaraman (UCD) def. Tom Fisher (NAU) 6-3, 6-3
6. Ruben Montano (NAU) def. Alex Scemanenco (UCD) 6-1, 6-1
Order of Finish: 6, 5, 1, 3, 4, 2
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley. The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation, according to the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education, offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.
AGGIE EVO
Established during the 2017-18 academic year, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation. Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis. Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.
