DAVIS, Calif. — Although the score may seem one-sided in UC Davis' 0-7 loss to Hawaii in the regular season finale, the doubles point came down the final court, and four singles matches were battling until the end, showcasing what could be an interesting rematch at the Big West Championships on Friday morning.
As tradition would have it, UC Davis women's tennis honored its lone senior, Isabella von Ebbe prior to the start of the match, beginning the day on a high note, as von Ebbe has been a key contributer on and off the court.
The Rainbow Wahine took the first doubles match of the day on court three, but the Aggies struck back at No. 2, with Nikita Pradeep and Shirley Hall getting back on the board, and recording a team-best 10th doubles dual win together to even the standings. With the attention on court one to decide the doubles, Hawaii squeaked out a 6-4 win to clinch the point.
Heading into singles play, the Aggies would see a slow start on all six courts, as players were battling not only their opponents, but also the wind. The Aggies lost the first set on every court, but not without a fight. Sara Tsukamoto was locked in against Maayan Sela on court two (who transferred from Pacific for her senior season), while Kelsie Bryant was exchanging leads on court six.
Although Hawaii recorded the first two wins by dominant scores on courts one and four to put the overall score at 0-3, the Aggies were hanging tough until the very end. Hall responded to a 2-6 first set deficit with a 6-2 set of her own, forcing a third set. Bryant had dropped the first 5-7, and worked her way back to earn a 7-5 second set. Jessica Walker was down a set and 2-5, when she made her comeback, tying the match at 5-5, and again at 6-6, resulting in a tiebreaker to decide the set.
However, Hawaii would get the fourth point on Tsukamoto's court, officially recording their fifth Big West win. With both teams electing to play out the remaining matches, Hall had already started a full third set before the clinch, while Bryant and Walker were just finishing their second sets. Although Walker forced her way into a second set tiebreaker, Hawaii's Roxanne Resma was solid throughout, and won the match 7-3 in the breaker. Bryant made a comeback from a 3-8 hole in the third set match-tiebreak to get within striking distance, but fell 8-10. As the last match on the court, Hall played gritty tennis, but was unable to put away a hard-hitting Nikola Dolakova, resulting in a 4-6 final set. Although all seven points fell in favor of the 'Bows, the Aggies were close on several courts.
With the loss, UC Davis falls to 9-13 overall, and 3-5 in the Big West, locking in the fifth seed at the Big West Championships this week. Although UC Davis, CSUN, and Cal Poly all finished with identical 3-5 records, the Aggies have beaten both teams in the regular season, winning the tiebreaker between the programs and claiming the highest seed. Hawaii improves to 8-9 overall, and 5-2 in the Big West, and will be the fourth seed, as their match against 0-7 UC Riverside was canceled earlier this season due to rain. With the seedings, UC Davis and Hawaii are set to meet again in the Big West Quarterfinal round on Friday at 8:30 AM at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif. For the 16th consecutive year, Indian Wells Tennis Garden is hosting the Big West men's and women's championship tournaments. As one of the premier facilities in the United States — and one that hosts the BNP Paribas Open — Indian Wells will host all six mens, and nine women's teams, beginning on April 25th.
Hawaii 7, UC Davis 0
Sunday, April 21, 2019
Davis, Calif.
Doubles
1. Dolakova,Nikola/Melounova,Petra (UH) def. Kelsie Bryant/Sara Tsukamoto (UCD) 6-4
2. Shirley Hall/Nikita Pradeep (UCD) def. Pits,Michelle/Resma,Roxanne (UH) 6-3
3. Sela,Maayan/Houbova,Alzbeta (UH) def. Jessica Walker/Kristina Breisacher (UCD) 6-2
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1
Singles
1. Melounova,Petra (UH) def. Nikita Pradeep (UCD) 6-1, 6-1
2. Sela,Maayan (UH) def. Sara Tsukamoto (UCD) 6-4, 6-4
3. Dolakova,Nikola (UH) def. Shirley Hall (UCD) 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
4. Pits,Michelle (UH) def. Kristina Breisacher (UCD) 6-2, 6-2
5. Resma,Roxanne (UH) def. Jessica Walker (UCD) 6-2, 7-6 (7-3)
6. Houbova,Alzbeta (UH) def. Kelsie Bryant (UCD) 7-5, 5-7, 1-0 (10-8)
Order of Finish: 1, 4, 2, 5, 6, 3
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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.
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