INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Fifth-seeded UC Davis women's tennis fell to the fourth-seeded Hawaiʻi in the quarterfinal round of the Big West Championships, hosted at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif. on Friday afternoon.
With temperatures forecasted to top 100 degrees on Friday, the Aggies were up against extreme conditions and a tough opponent in a rematch of last weekend's action. To start the match, the Rainbow Wahine claimed the doubles point after wins at the top two courts, taking the 1-0 advantage.
Transitioning into singles, the Aggies battled it out on all six courts, posting improved scores at every position. Although UC Davis was playing without both senior Isabella von Ebbe and sophomore Jessica Walker, the scores remained close throughout the match. Hawaiʻi would go on to win three singles matches to clinch at 4-0 overall, but two of the remaining three matches were in a third set, and one was attempting to close out a straight-set win.
Sara Tsukamoto battled back to take the second set against Maayan Sela on court two, where just a week ago she had lost in two sets. On court three, Shirley Hall split sets with Nikola Dolakova once again, and was leading 2-0 in the third at the clinch. The lone Aggie to win a first set was Kelsie Bryant at No. 5, as she claimed a 7-5 win over Roxanne Resma, becoming just one of two Aggies to claim a set off the Hawaiʻi senior in four years. Bryant was down 4-5 in the second set when the match was left unfinished.
Nikita Pradeep finishes her first year at the top of the lineup with a 12-10 overall, and 11-7 dual record, narrowly leading the team in dual wins. Hall and Tsukamoto both finished with 10 dual wins, while Hall posted a team-best 15-14 overall record, followed by Tsukamoto at 13-11.
Pradeep and Hall proved to be the Aggies' most consistent duo, going 14-11 overall, and 10-9 at the No. 2 doubles position to lead the team. Bryant and Tsukamoto were close behind with 11 overall wins, and a 9-11 record at No. 1.
Hawaiʻi 4, UC Davis 0
Friday, April 26, 2019
Indian Wells, Calif.
Doubles
1. Melounova,Petra/Dolakova,Nikola (UH) def. Kelsie Bryant/Sara Tsukamoto (UCD) 6-1
2. Resma,Roxanne/Pits,Michelle (UH) def. Nikita Pradeep/Shirley Hall (UCD) 6-3
3. Houbova,Alzbeta/Sela,Maayan (UH) vs. Kristina Breisacher/Skyler Holm (UCD) 4-4, unfinished
Order of Finish: 1, 2
Singles
1. Melounova,Petra (UH) def. Nikita Pradeep (UCD) 6-3, 6-3
2. Sela,Maayan (UH) vs. Sara Tsukamoto (UCD) 6-4, 4-6, unfinished
3. Dolakova,Nikola (UH) vs. Shirley Hall (UCD) 6-3, 3-6, 0-2, unfinished
4. Pits,Michelle (UH) def. Kristina Breisacher (UCD) 6-4, 6-4
5. Resma,Roxanne (UH) vs. Kelsie Bryant (UCD) 5-7, 5-4, unfinished
6. Houbova,Alzbeta (UH) def. Skyler Holm (UCD) 6-3, 6-1
Order of Finish: 1, 6, 4*
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