UC Davis (13-6, 1-3 Big West) at
UC Irvine (3-12, 0-2 Big West)
Date: Sunday, April 2
Time: 11 a.m. (PDT)
Location: Anteater Tennis Stadium - Irvine, Calif.
UC Irvine Match Notes
The UC Irvine women's tennis team resumes Big West play this weekend as it welcomes UC Davis to Anteater Tennis Stadium for an 11 a.m. conference showdown on Sunday, April 2.
QUICK HITS
• Seven of the Anteaters' 15 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 owns a team-best 7-6 singles record, playing at Nos. 2-4.
• Freshman Constance Branstine has played in 13 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 five matches, is UCI's active career leader with 26 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.
SCOUTING THE AGGIES: UC Davis (13-6, 1-3 Big West) started its busy conference road stretch with a 4-0 loss at Cal State Fullerton on Thursday. The Aggies will also play at CSUN on Friday, before making their way to Irvine on Sunday. UCD has three individuals with double-digit wins in singles play, led by freshman Nikita Pradeep who owns a 14-2 record, primarily playing at No. 5.
HOME SWEET HOME: UCI played its first four contests of the 2017 campaign in Irvine and is now wrapping up 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 owns a team-best seven singles victories. In her two conference matches, 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.
FINDING HER GROOVE: Senior Cassidy Branstine has won two of her last three matches at No. 3 singles. Against Sacramento State, she dispatched Carolina Chernyetsky, 6-0, 6-3, while she also toppled Cristina Saenz de Buruaga Ruiz of Pacific, 6-0, 6-4. In addition, Branstine teamed up with Stephanie Nguyen for a 6-3 doubles victory at No. 2 against the Tigers.
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 13 duals in which she has played. Branstine recently capped a season-long three-match win streak by downing 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.
UNDER PRESSURE: In just her second singles match of the 2017 season, junior Hali Dickson came up big under pressure to help UCI to a 4-3 win at Portland State. With her team down 3-2 in the dual, Dickson fell behind 5-3 in the second set at No. 6, but bounced back for the 6-2, 7-5 triumph that tied the match at 3-3. Dickson has also been one of the Anteaters' top doubles players where she has a team-best six victories. Against defending Big West regular season champion Long Beach State, she teamed up with Vivien Dvali to pull out a 7-6 (8-6) win that clinched the doubles point.
FIRST LOOK: With three matches in three days, a handful of Anteaters saw their first action of the season from March 9-11. Freshmen Gillian Parker and Arianna Tilbury both went 1-1 during that stretch, picking up their first career victories against Hope International at No. 4 and No. 5 singles, respectively. Junior Alex Harrigan also played her first match in over a year as she has been on the mend after a hip injury. Harrigan didn't show any signs of discomfort as she ran the table against the Royals' Melody Gauthier, 6-0, 6-0.
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 will hit the road for the first time since Feb. 20, as it continues Big West action at Cal Poly (April 8) and UC Santa Barbara (April 9).
