UPCOMING MATCHES
Wed. 1/18 - 1:30 PM
vs. Cal State Bakersfield
Fri. 1/20 - 1:30 PM
at USC
The Anteaters entered the Big West Championship as the No. 6 seed and pushed all the way to the final match before finally being stopped. 2012 opens for UCI as an opportunity to ride that winning wave.
MAKING A RACQUET: UCI tennis roared back to being a contender in 2011 in the Big West. Despite a 3-5 record in conference, the team found its way into the Finals of the Big West Tournament.
The Anteaters got productions from their upperclassmen Courtney Byron (Scottsdale, Ariz. / Notre Dame Prep HS) and Hannah Holladay (La Jolla / La Jolla HS) to freshman phenoms Franziska Goettsching (Heitersheim, Germany / Faust-Gymnasium) and Brooke Schweyer (Palos Verdes Estates / Palos Verdes HS).
Byron made the most noise alongside Kristina Smith (Laguna Niguel / Dana Hills HS). Together, the duo went 11-8 in doubles garnering All-Big West Honorable Mention honors. Byron took over the No. 1 spot in singles going 13-12, good for All-Big West First Team. Smith stepped up as the No. 3 going 18-6, the highest mark on the squad, to earn her Second Team All-Big West honors.
Holladay was a part of the No. 1 doubles pair with Becka Kwan. The duo went 10-10, good for Second Team All-Big West.
Stephanie Hammel (Placentia / Valencia HS) looks to return to the outstanding pace she set as a sophomore. She was held out of 2011 due to injury, but will provide a major boost to the 2012 team.
PRIMED AND READY: The 'Eaters bring five newcomers to the team looking for a spot on the court.
Four freshmen join the roster: Anna Tatsuno (Rancho Palos Verdes / Palos Verdes Peninsula), local player Nakisa Vahdat (Irvine / Woodbridge HS), and a pair of twins, Ali and Kat Facey (Cameron Park / Ponderosa HS). The fifth newcomer is Marivick Mamiit (Los Angeles / William & Mary) spent a year at the College of William & Mary, but will return to Southern California to boost the 'Eaters.
CSUB ROADRUNNERS: CSU Bakersfield and UC Irvine will square off for the first time in the schools' histories to open the 2012 season. The Runners struggled through a 2011 campaign where they went 3-13 with no wins against Division I colleges. CSUB has a total of 14 wins in its six years of play.
The Runners return just two athletes from the 2011 season in Senior Veronica Dimas and Redshirt Sophomore Estefania Limpias.
Joining the team this year is Dimas' sister, Daniela, both from Mexico City. Limpias is from Bakersfield as is junior transfer Charlotte Hughes and freshman Nancy Ramirez. Completing the squad is Nelli Buiuklianova of Kyrgyzstan.
USC TROJANS: USC will finish out a big opening week against the 'Eaters at USC. The Trojans began the week in a three-day tournament in Las Vegas before tackling UCI.
USC is currently ranked 16th after finishing 2011 as No. 19. They opened 2011 as the ninth-ranked squad, and were ninth when they faced off with and defeated UCI, 6-1. The 'Eaters earned their one point from Kristina Smith's win at the No. 6 spot. Hannah Holladay and Becka Kwan were able to win a doubles match as well.
USC has four players ranked in the top-100 which include Sabrina Santamaria (No. 18), Zoe Scandalis (No. 19), Danielle Lao (No. 42), and Kaitlyn Christian (No. 99). The most notable of the rankings is the duo of Christian and Santamaria ranked No. 3 in doubles. They combined to win the ITA National Indoor Doubles Championship this fall while Lao and Scandalis were singles champs in separate tournaments over the weekend.
Santamaria and Scandalis join the Trojans as freshmen with Christian and Lao as the most highly-touted returners; Christian posted a 26-9 last year while Lao was 26-13. Christian will team up with Santamaria as the No. 3-ranked doubles in the country.
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