SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Finding themselves in a must-win situation at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, the Aggies attempted to battle back from a 2-3 deficit but ultimately fell 3-4 to the San Francisco Dons in a Thursday afternoon thriller.

Starting the day on the right foot, UC Davis picked up its first doubles point win of the season, claiming wins at Nos. 1 and 3. At No. 1 doubles, Ivan Thamma and David Goulak continued their momentum from last week with a 6-4 win over Paul Giraud and Phuc Huynh, followed with the reappearance of Chethan Swanson and Dariush Jalali at No. 3. The Aggie No. 3 tandem clinched the doubles point over Mitch Johnson and Johan Garpered, also by a 6-4 score.

In singles play, Swanson raced to a quick 6-2, 6-2 win over Johnson to be the first match off the court at No. 3, contrary to his performance at Pacific, where he was the final match on in a third set. Swanson would be the only Aggie to win his singles match before the Dons reeled off three straight to take a 3-2 lead.

USF picked up straight-set wins at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, with Daniel Landa trying to fire things up for the Aggies at No. 6. Landa rebounded from a tight 4-6 first set to claim the second 6-3 over Garpered, but the Don took control of the match to win 6-2 in the third.

With Andrei Volgin and Arjith Jayaraman the last two remaining matches on court at Nos. 4 and 5, respectively, the Aggies set up a must-win situation with both courts in a third set.

Volgin regained his form to overcome Huynh 4-6, 7-6, 6-1, tying the team score at 3-3, when all eyes shifted to Jayaraman's match at No. 5, where he and Maior were even at 2-2 in the third. 

Unfortunately, Maior would break serve to gain momentum for a 5-2 third set lead, putting the match away 7-5, 2-6, 6-3. The Aggies fall to 1-2 this season while the Dons improve to 1-2.

The Aggies have a quick turnaround before hosting a tough UTSA team as part of Saturday's home-opener doubleheader with Sonoma State. The morning match against the Roadrunners is slated to begin at 10:30 AM, with the afternoon match at 2:30 PM at the Marya Welch Tennis Center. 

UC Davis 3, San Francisco 4
Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020
Olympic Club // San Francisco, Calif.

Doubles 
1. Ivan Thamma/David Goulak (UCD) def. Paul Giraud/Phuc Huynh (USF) 6-4
2. Ori Maior/Nitzan Ricklis (USF) def. Daniel Landa/Andrei Volgin (UCD) 6-4
3. Chethan Swanson/Dariush Jalali (UCD) def. Mitch Johnson/Johan Garpered (USF) 6-4
Order of Finish: 1, 3*, 2

Singles
1. Nitzan Ricklis (USF) def. Ivan Thamma (UCD) 7-6, 6-2
2. Paul Giraud (USF) def. David Goulak (UCD) 7-6, 6-4
3. Chethan Swanson (UCD) def. Mitch Johnson (USF) 6-2, 6-2
4. Andrei Volgin (UCD) def. Phuc Huyn (USF) 4-6, 7-6, 6-1
5. Ori Maior (USF) def. Arjith Jayaraman (UCD) 5-7, 6-2, 3-6
6. Johan Garpered (USF) def. Daniel Landa (UCD) 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2, 6, 4, 5*

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.