RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Starting the 2020 Big West Conference season, UC Davis women's tennis traveled to UC Riverside for the first of two matches down south, and picked up a dominant 6-1 win over the host Highlanders to improve to 4-1 this season, and 1-0 in the Big West. 

Although the Aggies won the doubles point with wins on all three courts, each match was tight in scoring. Kristina Breisacher, the reigning Big West Athlete of the Week, teamed with Shirley Hall at No. 2 doubles to earn a 6-4 win over Mahli Silpachai and Hanh Pham, followed by Lauren Ko and Sara Tsukamoto at No. 1, who clinched the point with a 6-4 win over Tia Elpusan/Sara Khattab — the winningest pair in UC Riverside history.

Making her dual doubles debut, Kristina Evloeva partnered with fellow freshman Yana Gurevich, defeating Lindsey Gelinas and Lauren Wolfe 7-5 at No. 3. 

UC Davis raced to earn the first three singles wins to clinch the match 4-0, led by Evloeva with her fifth win of the season. Evloeva dropped just two games against Wolfe at No. 6, followed by Ko at No. 5, who was victorious over Pham in straight sets. 

Junior Tsukamoto clinched the match at the top of the lineup, recording a 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 1 over Silpachai, allowing Hall to retire her match at No. 3, although Hall had won the first set and was leading 3-2 in the second.

After the clinch, Gurevich and Breisacher picked up singles wins of their own to be undefeated on the day, with Breisacher having the toughest singles match in a 6-4, 7-6(3) victory over Natalie Shamma.

The Aggies continue their quest for the Big West against 2019 Big West Tournament champion Long Beach State tomorrow at the Terry L. Rhodes Tennis Center at 11 AM.

UC Davis 6, UC Riverside 1
Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020
Riverside, Calif.

Doubles
1. Sara Tsukamoto/Lauren Ko (UCD) def. Tia Elpusan/Sara Khattab (UCR) 6-4
2. Kristina Breisacher/Shirley Hall (UCD) def. Mahli Silpachai/Hanh Pham (UCR) 6-4
3. Kristina Evloeva/Yana Gurevich (UCD) def. Lindsey Gelinas/Lauren Wolfe (UCR) 7-5
Order of Finish: 2, 1*, 3

Singles
1. Sara Tsukamoto (UCD) def. Mahli Silpachai (UCR) 6-1, 6-0
2. Kristina Breisacher (UCD) def. Natalie Shamma (UCR) 6-4, 7-6(3)
3. Tia Elpusan (UCR) def. Shirley Hall (UCD) 4-6, 2-3, ret.
4. Yana Gurevich (UCD) def. Lindsey Gelinas (UCR) 6-3, 6-2
5. Lauren Ko (UCD) def. Hanh Pham (UCR) 6-3, 6-2
6. Kristina Evloeva (UCD) def. Lauren Wolfe (UCR) 6-2, 6-0
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.

MARYA WELCH INITIATIVE
Named after the former physical education instructor, coach and Dean of Women who founded women's sports on the campus 25 years before the passage of Title IX, the Marya Welch Initiative for Women's Athletics provides comprehensive support for UC Davis' 16 athletics programs.
Through the support of the Marya Welch Initiative and its group members, student-athletes are provided the best possible opportunity to succeed inside the classroom, and in competition, through special project gifts and by increasing visibility and participation at women's events throughout the year.
All gifts to the Marya Welch Initiative are matched 1:1, doubling the impact on our women's programs.
To learn more about projects the Marya Welch Initiative is currently funding, like the Marya Welch Initiative on Facebook. Join this groundbreaking program by clicking here, contacting Assistant AD for Leadership Giving and Alumni Engagement Liz Martin at (530) 752-7326 or emartin@ucdavis.edu.

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.