DAVIS, Calif. — Starting the match with singles play to avoid forecasted rain, UC Davis fell to defending regular season Big West Champion UC Santa Barbara 5-1 at the Marya Welch Tennis Center on Sunday. Junior Nikita Pradeep was the lone Aggie to win a singles match, and has now won her last 12 consecutive matches at home.
Sophomore Shirley Hall had just finished her first set in a tiebreaker when the Gauchos won the matches on courts 4-6 to jump out to a 3-0 lead. This put the last three singles matches into a must-win situation for the Aggies in order to force doubles play. Hall continued to fight through her match, while Pradeep battled back from dropping the first set against Elizaveta Volodko at No. 1. Volodko was among the nation's top-125 ranked players earlier this season, and recorded a straight-set win over then-No. 56 Magda Adaloglou (Mississippi State) during the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. On court No. 2, sophomore Sara Tsukamoto was attempting to come back from a set and 2-5 down, in hopes of keeping the Aggies alive.
Unfortunately, the Gauchos remained tough, and clinched the match on court No. 2, 6-3, 6-4 for the 4-0 result. Playing out the matches, Pradeep found her rhythm, and defeated Volodko 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 for her 12th straight win at home, and her seventh at No. 1 this season. As the last match on, Hall fought until the very end, but fell in two tiebreak sets.
The Aggies are back in action next Saturday, with a home match against St. Mary's, beginning at 1:30 PM.
UC Santa Barbara 5, UC Davis 1
March 3, 2019
Davis, Calif.
1. Nikita Pradeep (UCD) def. Volodko, Elizaveta (UCSB) 1-6, 6-3, 6-2
2. Lev Ari, Amit (UCSB) def. Sara Tsukamoto (UCD) 6-3, 6-4
3. Lagarde, Tiffany (UCSB) def. Shirley Hall (UCD) 7-6(3), 7-6(5)
4. Yamada, Stephanie (UCSB) def. Jessica Walker (UCD) 6-0, 6-2
5. Valero, Juliana (UCSB) def. Kelsie Bryant (UCD) 6-1, 6-3
6. Sentenac, Lise (UCSB) def. Skyler Holm (UCD) 6-0, 6-0
Order of Finish: (6,5,4,2,1,3)
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.
