UC Irvine Matches Up With Hawai'i In Big West Quarterfinal

UPCOMING MATCHES

UC Irvine Anteaters vs. Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine
Quarterfinal
Thursday April 28, 2016
11:00 AM
Indian Wells Tennis Garden
Indian Wells, Calif.

*Semifinal
Friday April 29, 2016
9:00 AM
Indian Wells Tennis Garden

*Final
Saturday April 30, 2016
9:00 AM
Indian Wells Tennis Garden

* - if necessary

Tournament Bracket|Match Notes

UPSWING

UC Irvine capped out their regular season sweeping UC Riverside, 7-0. The Anteaters' win over the Highlanders marked a three-match win streak giving them a 6-14 overall record going 4-4 in the Big West Conference.

UCI took all six singles flights in straight set wins and swept in doubles only losing two games. Vivien Dvali added to her win total with five straight and she has gone 7-3 in her last ten matches. The sophomore has earned all of her wins at the No. 2 spot in the lineup.

Sarah Gong also finished strong with a three-match win streak at flight one giving her seven wins after competing the entire season in the No. 1 spot. 

Doubles duo Dvali and Taylor LeFridge were a late season match-up and made their mark in the No. 2 doubles slot finishing taking all the games in a 6-0 set against UCR along with polishing their partnership with a 3-0 record.

The Anteaters fared well at home this season as all of their wins save one came in the Anteater Tennis Stadium.  It is always easier to stay ahead and the 'Eaters proved this with a 29-9 record in singles matches when the first set was won.

BOUT IN THE BIG WEST

UC Irvine's late upsurge landed them seeded fifth in the Big West Championship catapulting them into the Quarterfinal against fourth seeded Hawai'i on Thursday April 28 at 11:00 a.m.

Long Beach State earned the top spot in the Big West as the conference regular season champion with an 8-0 record (17-4 overall). The 49ers currently sit at No. 62 in the ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association) rankings. UC Santa Barbara is the other team ranked among the nine conference squads coming in at No. 74 (15-7, 7-1 BWC).

LBSU boasts nationally ranked No. 86 Maeva Razakasoa in singles while Cal State Fullerton is the team of No. 52 duo Alexis Valenzuela and Camille De Leon.

The Anteaters last met up with Hawai'i on March 5 falling to the 'Bows, 4-0. The Rainbow Wahine went 5-3 (11-9 overall) in the Big West with their losses coming at the hands of Long Beach State, Cal State Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara.

The winner of the fourth and fifth seed match-up will move on to the Semifinal on Friday (April 29) at 9:00 a.m. and the Final will take place on Saturday (April 30) at 9:00 a.m.

This season Andrea Duva (5-2), Vivien Dvali (5-2), Sarah Gong (4-3) and Taylor LeFridge (3-2) hold winning records against Big West opponents in singles.

The 'Eaters are over .500 in doubles conference action going 11-10. Partnerships Gong/Mazy Watrous (3-1) and Dvali/LeFridge (3-0) claim all of their wins from the Big West.

Last season UC Irvine breezed through the Big West First Round with Cal State Fullerton to ultimately fall 4-3 at the hands of UC Santa Barbara in the Semifinal. 

Tournament Bracket

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