COIN TOSS: UC Davis women's tennis returns to the Marya Welch Tennis Center for a pair of Big West Conference matches, hosting CSUN on Saturday, and UC Irvine on Sunday.
NEXT UP…
UC Davis (4-7, 1-3 BWC) vs. CSUN (3-2, 0-0 BWC)
WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020 at 11 AM
WHERE: Marya Welch Tennis Center in Davis, Calif.
LIVE SCORING: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=311276
UC Davis (4-7, 1-3 BWC) vs. UC Irvine (4-4, 0-1 BWC)
WHEN: Sunday, Mar. 1, 2020 at 10 AM
WHERE: Marya Welch Tennis Center in Davis, Calif.
LIVE SCORING: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=311277
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 MATADORS: CSUN enters the weekend with a 3-2 overall record, highlighted by a 4-3 win over Pac-12 Oregon. Jolene Coetzee leads the Matadors with a 4-1 dual record, playing matches in each of the top three positions in the lineup. Ekatarina Repina has played primarily at No. 1, posting a 3-1 record at that spot. Coetzee and Ana Fraile Toboso have combined for a 3-1 doubles record at No. 1, with Jacquie Tan and Repina following with a 2-2 at No. 2.
SERIES NOTES: Since joining the Big West, the Aggies are 5-8 against CSUN, but have won the last two consecutive meetings.
ABOUT THE ANTEATERS: UC Irvine has posted an even 4-4- record, and will play at UC Santa Cruz on Saturday prior to a meeting with the Aggies. The only Big West matchup has been against Hawai'i, which the Anteaters lost 1-6, highlighted by Jessica Tsukiji's win at No. 3. All four of UC Irvine's wins so far have been against non-Division I opponents. Carrying 12 players on its roster, UC Irvine has been led by Tsukiji and Arianna Tilbury, who have both posted a 3-0 record in dual play. Stephanie Nguyen has gone 0-5 at No. 1 singles, but leads doubles play alongside Alyssia Fossorier with a 4-1 record at No. 2.
SERIES NOTES: UC Irvine leads the series 11-4 over the Aggies since UC Davis joined the Big West, although the Aggies have won two of the last three meetings.
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.
ELITE COMPANY: Junior Sara Tsukamoto picked up her second career Big West Athlete of the Week award after winning both doubles matches against UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly, helping the Aggies clinch the first doubles point over the Gauchos in six years. Tsukamoto also recorded 11 consecutive games to defeat UC Santa Barbara's Amit Lev-Ari at No. 1 singes. With the weekly honor, Tsukamoto is now just the fourth Aggie to earn multiple awards.
TAKE FIVE: Four Aggies have posted five singles wins so far this dual season, with three players having a 5-5 record.
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.
