COIN TOSS: Returning to the road, the Aggies head to UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly to resume Big West Conference Play. UC Davis faces UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, followed by Cal Poly on Sunday, with both matches scheduled for 10 AM.
NEXT UP…
UC Davis (4-5, 1-1 BWC) vs. UC Santa Barbara (3-5, 0-0 BWC)
WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020 at 10 AM
WHERE: Rec Cen Tennis Courts in Santa Barbara, Calif.
UC Davis (4-5, 1-1 BWC) vs. Cal Poly (6-1, 0-0 BWC)
WHEN: Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020 at 10 AM
WHERE: Mustang Tennis Complex in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
FOLLOW THE AGGIES: Fans can see behind the scenes of UC Davis women's tennis by following them on their social media accounts. Like or follow on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook at @ucdaviswtennis.
ABOUT THE GAUCHOS: The defending regular season Big West Champion UC Santa Barbara has had a tough spring slate so far, facing five top-25 ranked teams in their eight matches so far. The Gauchos took points off then-No. 14 Florida State, the current No. 2 team in the country, then-No. 19 USC, and then-No. 16 UCF. UC Santa Barbara has been led by Elizaveta Volodko and Tiffany Lagarde at three dual wins apiece between the Nos. 2-4 positions in the singles lineup. Amit Lev-Ari has been competing at the top of the lineup, posting a 2-6 record. In doubles, Anastasia Goncharova and Dominique Paterova lead with a 3-2 record, playing primarily at No. 2.
SERIES NOTES: The Aggies' only Big West win over the Gauchos dates back to 2011, when UC Davis won 5-2 at the Marya Welch Tennis Center. That quad finished the year with a Division I-best 17-7 overall record.
ABOUT THE MUSTANGS: Cal Poly recorded an undefeated start to their season, posting wins in its first six matches, before falling to San Diego State last weekend. In all six wins, the Mustangs have won the doubles point. Leading Cal Poly are a pair of freshmen, Delanie Dunkle and Melissa LaMette, who are 6-1, and 5-0 in duals, respectively. Emily Monaghan (previously Louie-Meadors) has recorded a 5-2 lead at the No. 2 singles position. In doubles play, Emily Ackerman and Monaghan are a perfect 4-0 at the top of the lineup, with Dunkle and LaMette pairing for a 5-1 record at No. 2.
SERIES NOTES: UC Davis has been largely successful against the Mustangs in recent years, winning eight of the last ten meetings. Shirley Hall has been the clincher for the Aggies in each of the previous two matchups during the regular season, winning in a third set each time to give UC Davis the 4-3 edge.
5-5-5-5-5-5: Five Aggies in the singles lineup have recorded five dual match wins so far, with Kristina Breisacher holding the best record of 5-3. In doubles, Breisacher and Shirley Hall lead the team with five dual wins this season.
BEST IN THE BIG WEST: Senior Kristina Breisacher earned her first career Big West Athlete of the Week honor after leading the Aggies to a 2-1 weekend in the Pacific Northwest. The senior recorded wins in singles and doubles against Portland to edge the Pilots in a 4-3 victory, and was the last off the court in battles against Pac-12 foe Oregon.
TERRIFIC TOP THREE: Last season's top three players from the singles lineup are returning for 2020, who put up a combined 40 singles wins out of the team's 62 total wins. Juniors Shirley Hall and Sara Tsukamoto led the team with 15 and 13 singles wins, respectively, closely followed by senior Nikita Pradeep at 12 to be the only three players to reach double-digit wins.
BAGELS FOR BREAKFAST: The Aggies put up a dominant win over Sonoma State in their season opener, defeating the Seawolves 7-0. In doubles, Shirley Hall and Kristina Breisacher teamed at No. 2 to deliver the first 6-0 set — one of four on the day. In singles play, Hall claimed her opening set 6-0, dropped her first three games of the second set before coming from behind to essentially win the second set 6-0. Lauren Ko never looked back in singles, winning her first career 6-0, 6-0 match to be the first Aggie off the court.
BAGELS FOR LUNCH TOO? Competing against Division III opponent Puget Sound, the Aggies recorded two 6-0 wins in doubles at Nos. 2-3, and at least one 6-0 set in each match for nine total on the day — including three double-bagel wins from Sara Tsukamoto (No.1), Lauren Ko (No. 4), and Jessica Walker (No. 6).
TWO BROOMS ARE BETTER THAN ONE: Midway through their three-match roadswing through the Pacific Northwest, the Aggies put up their second sweep of the season in a neutral-site victory over Puget Sound. This is the first time since 2017 that the Aggies swept two opponents — that team went on to post the program's best Big West record and earn the No. 2 seed at the Big West Conference tournament. One more 7-0 victory will match the 2016 squad that blanked three teams.
PROGRAM FIRST: Starting off the fall tournament season in fashion, junior Sara Tsukamoto and freshman Lauren Ko posted the program's first doubles match win over a nationally-ranked team in UC Davis' Division I history. The duo defeated Saint Mary's Danielle McIntyre and Mariia Kozyreva at the Cal Invite, who were ranked No. 48 at the time.
A LEAGUE OF LEGENDS: Head coach Bill Maze enters his 25th year at the helm of UC Davis, and is approaching the 300-win mark during his tenure with the Aggies. Maze has coached the Aggies through the Division I transition, and compiled a 285-249 UC Davis record. Considering his five-year stint as the head coach of Pacific, Maze is well over the 300 dual match win threshold — entering into a league of legends.
ON THE ROAD… A LOT: The Aggies are slated for 11 road matches this spring. Which means chances are limited to just 10 days to watch UC Davis women's tennis at the Marya Welch Tennis Center.
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.
