DAVIS, Calif. — Following a successful home conference win, UC Davis women's tennis is back on the road this weekend for a pair of Big West matchups. The Aggies begin the weekend on Saturday, Mar. 7 against UC Riverside at 10:00 a.m. PT and wrap up against Long Beach State on Sunday, Mar. 8 at 11:00 a.m.
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN/FOLLOW
Mar. 7 — vs. UC Riverside | @ucdaviswten (X/Instagram)
Mar. 8 — vs. Long Beach State | @ucdaviswten (X/Instagram)
GAME NOTES
- The doubles pair of Polina Marakhtanova and Mika Ikemori made it to the second round of doubles at ITA Regionals.
- Maya Youssef and Marakhtanova both advanced to the next round in singles at the ITA Northwest Regional Championships.
- The Aggies excelled at their last competition, the San Jose State Hidden duals, where they faced off against opponents from SJSU, Santa Clara, and Nevada.
- Aggie Tennis will have its first-ever full season with a brand-new scoreboard, kindly donated by the Khourie family.
- Sophomore transfer Aileena Hu scored the only point for the Aggies, defeating Arizona's Tanvi Narendran 7-5, 7-5.
- Freshman Vivian Gallaway defeated both of her opponents in straight sets throughout the doubleheader home opener.
- Junior Ikemori contributed to both of UC Davis's only points against UCSB and Cal Poly, defeating her doubles opponent with partner Polina Marakhtanova and winning her singles match against Cal Poly's Jessica MacCallum.
- Senior Youssef went 1-0 at No. 3 singles and 1-1 at No. 2 doubles against Washington State and UC Irvine for UC Davis. She earned a comeback singles win over UC Irvine's Carolyna Fowler, rallying after dropping the first set to take the match in three sets. In doubles, Youssef and Isabella Bringas picked up a 7-6 win over UC Irvine at No. 2 doubles, helping UC Davis compete strongly across the weekend.
- Ikemori went 3-0 in singles and 2-0 in doubles against Stanislaus State, Menlo, and Saint Mary's, including a come-from-behind victory at #1 doubles against St. Mary's to clinch the doubles point.
- Sophomore Marakhtanova went 2-0 in singles and 0-2 in doubles over the weekend against Santa Clara and Nevada. She came out strong at #1 singles to be 1 of 4 Ags to win in singles for the 4-3 team victory.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
- UC Riverside is 3-9 on the season with an 0-4 mark in Big West Conference play. The Highlanders will play New Mexico Friday at 2:00 p.m. before hosting the Aggies on Saturday.
- Davis has historically been dominant over Riverside, winning 7-0 at home last season.
- Long Beach State is 7-6 on the year with a 2-1 conference record, beating Youngstown State 6-1 on Thursday.
- Both teams last met in last year's Big West Tournament second round, with the Beach winning 4-0.
SEASON NOTES
- Veteran Leadership: The 2025 squad features an experienced upper class led by seniors Kaia Wolfe and Maya Youseff, and juniors Mika Ikemori and Sophia Sappa.
- Following a long tenure as assistant under Aggie legend Bill Maze, Head Coach Sara Jackson returns for her 2nd season.
- Assistant Coach Matthew Foster-Etswick returns for his second season with the Aggies after a successful debut season.
- New Additions: UC Davis welcomes 2 newcomers in 2025, with one true freshman and a sophomore transfer joining the Aggie roster.
- This is the final season for UC Davis in the Big West before the team transitions to the Mountain West in 2026-27, and the team looks to end its long tenure in the conference on a high note.
ABOUT UC DAVIS ATHLETICS:
UC Davis, the No. 2 ranked public university by the Wall Street Journal, is home to 40,000 undergraduate students and 12,000 employees. Ranked No. 1 in Agriculture and Forestry as well as No. 1 in Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis is located in a true California college town nestled between world-class destinations such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe. Over 650 Aggie student-athletes compete in 25 Division I varsity sports, with 16 sports transitioning to the Mountain West Conference beginning in 2026–27.
For more information, visit
https://ucdavisaggies.com/.
