UPCOMING MATCHES
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Big West Tournament
Date / Time: Fri. April 26 - 8:00 AM
Sat. April 27 - 9:00 AM
Sun. April 28 - 9:00 AM
Site: Indian Wells Tennis Garden / Indian Wells, Calif.
DROP SHOTS
The squad is now ranked 31st in the nation. The 'Eaters were ranked 23rd earlier in the season, its highest ranking in Division I and first time in the top 30 since 2009.
Kristina Smith has now defeated four ranked opponents; No. 112 Kaitlin Burns of LSU, No. 118 Klara Vyskocilova of Tulane, and No. 98 Edyta Cieplucha of SMU as her singles victims. Smith and partner Franziska Goettsching also took down fourth-ranked pair Guillermo/Issara of Pepperdine.
UC Irvine has claimed the Big West Athlete of the Week award five times this season via Kristina Smith (twice), Franziska Goettsching, Sarah Gong, and Ali Facey.
BREAK POINTS
UCI looks to reach the Big West final for the 10th time in the last 14 years.
Kristina Smith leads all active Anteaters with 73 career dual match wins and 57 career doubles wins. She is currently third in singles wins with and sixth in doubles wins all-time.
Kristina Smith also has 31 career wins as the No. 1 singles ranking her fourth in 'Eater history.
Smith has 95 wins between fall and dual matches and has eclipsed the 20-win mark in all four years at UC Irvine.
STRAIGHT SETS
Freshmen Sarah Gong and Sarah Stadfelt are a combined 29-7 in singles so far.
The 'Eaters have five players with 10 or more dual match victories.
CHANGE OVERS
The Big West Tournament begins on Thurs. April 25th where the first round matchups will be played. UCI's opponent will be determined from them and the Anteaters will begin play on Fri. April 26th at 8:00 a.m.
FALL RECAP
UCI enjoyed a beneficial fall slate in the Cal State Fullerton Intercollegiate and UH Rainbow Invitationals.
Sarah Gong was the B Flight singles runner-up of the CSUF Intercollegiates. She finished the fall season with an 8-2 record.
Sarah Stadfelt defeated Nakisa Vahdat to claim the CSUF Intercollegiate C Flight singles title. Stadfelt finished the fall at 7-2 while Vahdat went 5-3.
Stadfelt partnered with Marivick Mamiit to win the CSUF Intercollegiate B Flight doubles championship. They went 9-0 as a duo in the fall.
Other notable fall marks were Alison Klein (5-3), Marivick Mamiit (4-3), and Ali Facey (4-3). In doubles, A. Facey/Schweyer and Klein/Vahdat each went 3-2.
TOURNEY TRACKING
UC Irvine nabbed the top seed in the Big West Tournament this weekend which means its journey will begin Friday. UCI opponent will be determined from the Pacific-Cal Poly matchup. Pacific got the better of Cal Poly to open Big West play, 4-3. Cal Poly managed just four wins on the season, two against Division I opponents.
No. 2-seed LBSU will face the UC Davis-UC Riverside winner. LBSU actually opened the season with a sweep of UCR. UCD got the better of the Highlanders during the year. UCD also has wins over SJSU, Cal Poly, Pacific, and CSUF. LBSU finished the season with a 7-3 record away from home.
The other matches are already set: UCSB vs. CSUN and Hawai'I vs. CSUF.
UCSB is the No. 3 seed and still ranked at No. 74 in the nation. UCSB trumped CSUN early in the conference season. Its conference losses came to UCI, LBSU, and Pacific. CSUN struggled toward the end of the year dropping seven of its last nine.
Hawai'I and CSUF have been the two curious cases this season. UH has just five wins, but four have come in the Big West to give them the No. 4 seed. The Titans have been very hot and cold with wins over Hawai'I and Colorado State in a very demanding schedule, but also have fallen to UC Davis and Cal Poly.
This marks the 29th conference tournament on the women's side. UC Irvine has only taken it once in 2010 as a No. 3 seed. UCI came in as the No. 1 in 2007 with a nearly identical record and dropped its semifinal match. UCI is the only blemish in a sparkling run for LBSU who has won eight of the last nine titles. UCI has been to the final nine times since the year 2000. The No. 1 seed has won the tournament five of the last seven years.
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