Brown University (8-4) at
UC Irvine (3-11)
Date: Tuesday, March 28
Time: 11 a.m. (PDT)
Location: Anteater Tennis Stadium - Irvine, Calif.
UC Irvine Match Notes
The UC Irvine women's tennis team returns to action following a 10-day layoff as it welcomes Brown to Anteater Tennis Stadium for an 11 a.m. showdown on Tuesday, March 28.
QUICK HITS
• Seven of the Anteaters' 14 duals have been decided by one point and they are 2-5 in those contests.
• The 'Eaters have a young team with five freshmen and only one senior.
• Freshman Stephanie Nguyen has won four of her last five singles matches and owns a team-best 7-5 record.
• Freshman Constance Branstine has played in 12 matches, all at the top of the lineup in both singles and doubles.
• Branstine and junior Ashlynn Hall are tied for second on the team with five singles victories each.
• Junior Vivien Dvali, who has missed the last four matches, is UCI's active career leader with 26 overall singles wins.
• Interim head coach Elizabeth Ferris is in her first year at the helm of the program.
• Ferris spent the last three seasons as an assistant under long-time UC Irvine head coach Mike Edles.
LAST TIME OUT: UC Irvine saw its two-match win streak snapped on Friday, March 17, as it fell to Pacific, 4-3, at Anteater Tennis Stadium. It was UCI's second consecutive 4-3 decision, and seventh of the season.
The Tigers (5-4) took the early lead by claiming the doubles point. The 'Eaters struck first with senior Cassidy Branstine and freshman Stephanie Nguyen dispatching Anneroos Nederstigt/Sabrina Rodriguez, 6-3, at No. 2, but Pacific responded with a pair of 6-4 wins at Nos. 1 and 3 to clinch the point.
Cassidy Branstine continued to roll in singles as she upended Cristina Saenz de Buruaga Ruiz, 6-0, 6-4, at the No. 3 position. Freshman Constance Branstine also finished off Maayan Sela at the top of the lineup to even the dual at 2-2. UC Irvine was unable to hold off the Tigers, however, as the visitors won the next two to secure the victory. Sophomore Stephanie Hazell closed out the day on a high note for the Anteaters as she came from behind to top Rodriguez, 4-6, 7-5, 10-7, at the fifth spot.
SCOUTING THE BEARS: Brown improved to 8-4 on the season with a 4-3 victory over William & Mary on Saturday. Junior Alyza Benotto and senior Dayna Lord lead the Bears as they have combined for a 15-7 record at No. 1 and No. 2 singles. They have also teamed up at the top of the doubles lineup where they are 9-2 overall.
HOME SWEET HOME: UCI played its first four contests of the 2017 campaign in Irvine and is now at the tail-end of a season-long eight-match homestand. Overall, the 'Eaters are slated to play 13 of their 21 regular-season dual matches at Anteater Tennis Stadium and Palisades Tennis Club (Newport Beach).
CALIFORNIA GIRLS: Every member of the UC Irvine women's tennis team hails from the state of California. In addition, five grew up locally in the Orange County area.
NGUYEN WINS: Freshman Stephanie Nguyen, who owns a team-best seven singles victories, has won four of her last five matches. In conference play, she came from behind to upend Karla Portalatin of then undefeated Cal State Fullerton, 2-6, 7-6 (5), 10-5, and Maren Helgo of defending Big West regular season champion Long Beach State, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 at the No. 3 spot. At No. 4, the San Jose, Calif., native outlasted SDSU's Olivia Larsson, 2-6, 7-6 (3), 6-0, while she also dispatched Joselyn Treyes-Albarracin of USF and Anna Romeka of LMU in straight sets. Her biggest victory so far this year came at Portland State where she clinched the Anteaters' first team win with a 7-6 (9-7), 2-6, 6-4 triumph at No. 2.
BLUE CHIP RECRUIT: Freshman Constance Branstine is a five-star blue chip recruit out of Villa Park High School. In her first year at UCI, she has been at No. 1 singles and doubles in all 12 dual matches in which she has played. Branstine picked up her third-straight win in her most recent outing as she downed Maayan Sela of Pacific, 6-4, 6-3. Prior to that, she earned a dual-clinching 6-2, 6-7 (5), 10-8 triumph vs. Sacramento State. Branstine also recorded an impressive win over two-time Big West Player of the Year Maeva Razakasoa (LBSU) where she climbed out of a 4-0 hole in the third set to prevail, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. In the fall, the Orange, Calif., native paced the 'Eaters with a team-high five singles victories. She had her best showing at the Jack Kramer Collegiate Invitational where she advanced to the semifinals.
FINDING HER GROOVE: Senior Cassidy Branstine is riding a two-match win streak in singles play and has not dropped a set since March 9. At the No. 3 position, she defeated Carolina Chernyetsky of Sacramento State, 6-0, 6-3, and Cristina Saenz de Buruaga Ruiz of Pacific, 6-0, 6-4. She also teamed up with Stephanie Nguyen for a 6-3 doubles victory at No. 2 against the Tigers.
BACK FOR MORE: Junior Vivien Dvali was one of three 'Eaters named to the All-Big West Team last year as she earned second-team recognition in singles. The Valley Village, Calif., native won eight matches at the No. 2 spot and went 5-2 in conference play. She had a strong finish to the season, coming out on top in seven of her final 10 outings. Dvali is the Anteaters' active career leader with 26 singles victories, including 19 in dual-match play.
UP NEXT: UC Irvine gets back to Big West play on Sunday, April 2, when it closes out its eight-match homestand against UC Davis at 11 a.m.
