Hawai'i (2-1, 1-0 Big West) at 
UC Irvine (7-2, 0-0 Big West)
Date: Friday, Feb. 15
Time: 1:30 p.m. (PST)
Location: Anteater Tennis Stadium - Irvine, Calif.

UC Davis (1-3, 0-0 Big West) at
UC Irvine (7-2, 0-0 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 16
Time: 11 a.m. (PST)
Location: Anteater Tennis Stadium - Irvine, Calif.

Notes (PDF)

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's tennis team will return to Anteater Tennis Stadium this weekend as they host two Big West Conference matchups against Hawai'i (Feb.15) and UC Davis (Feb.16). The 'Eaters will square off with Hawai'i at 1:30 p.m. and UC Davis at 11:00 a.m.
 
STORYLINES
• UC Irvine played nine dual matches in the fall, finishing with an overall record of 7-2.
• As a team, the Anteaters were over .800 in singles (41-10) and doubles (21-5) in the month of October.
• Flora Amiri, Danielle Garrido and Gillian Parker all tied for the team lead with 5-0 records in singles play.
• Alyssia Fossorier and Jessica Tsukiji also went 4-0 in their collegiate debuts.
• Last year, the 'Eaters recorded a 3.25 cumulative GPA to earn ITA All-Academic Team honors.
• Five players were also named ITA Scholar-Athletes.
• The 'Eaters have reloaded with six incoming freshmen, including Tsukiji and Fossorier, who are four-star recruits.
• Tsukiji played in numerous ITA Summer Circuit tournaments, winning the Flight 1 singles at Sonoma State.
• Fossorier was ranked the second-best junior player in the state of Hawaii in 2018.
 
FALL RECAP
UC Irvine had a strong showing during the fall season where it took two trips to the East Coast and finished with a 7-2 dual-match record. The 'Eaters swept three of their opponents, starting with a 9-0 victory over Drew, where they did not drop a point in singles or doubles. Freshmen Megan Mansonhing and Dasee Carter started off with a 6-0 win at No. 3 doubles before Dana Mackensen and Alyssia Fossorier clinched the point with a 6-0 triumph at No. 1. Arianna Tilbury and Shreya Pavani also grabbed a 6-0 win at the No. 2 spot. UCI then cruised through singles coming away with 6-0, 6-0 victories on all six courts.
 
The following day, UC Irvine started out hot on its way to a 7-0 sweep of Sacred Heart. The tandems of Stephanie Hazell/Jessica Tsukiji and Flora Amiri/Arianna Tilbury both won their doubles matches by a 6-2 score, while the freshmen pairing of Dana Mackensen/Alyssia Fossorier also won 6-4. The Anteaters' third sweep came at the end of their East Coat trip as they dominated New Haven, 7-0.  
 
THE OPPONENTS
Hawai'i will be heading to Southern California in hopes of improving on its 2-1 record, while UC Davis (1-2) returns to action following its first win of the season as it defeated Pacific, 4-3, on Sunday, Feb. 10.
 
OCTOBER SUCCESS
In their nine fall dual matches, the Anteaters combined to go 41-10 in singles and 21-5 in doubles. Flora Amiri, Danielle Garrido and Gillian Parker tied for the team lead with five singles wins each. Arianna Tilbury saw the most success in doubles with six victories, playing at the top two spots.
 
MEET THE NEWCOMERS
UC Irvine returns seven players and welcomes six newcomers who are all freshmen. Freshman Alyssia Fossorier won the singles state title in Hawai'i and was the Punahou School Athlete of the Year.
 
Freshmen Shreya Pavani (Irvine HS), Megan Mansonhing (Northwood HS) and Dana Mackensen (Dana Hills HS) are all local tennis stars. Dasee Carter and Jessica Tsukiji are both highly notable incoming freshmen who hail from Northern California.
 
Twelve of the 13 Anteaters on the roster are California products, while Fossorier is a native of Hawai'i.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
After being on the road for the entirety of the fall campaign, UC Irvine returns home to start the spring season. The 'Eaters, who have 10 home matches on their schedule, will be at Anteater Tennis Stadium for eight of their first nine matches in 2019.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine continues Big West action next weekend when it heads to UC Riverside for a 10 a.m. showdown on Saturday, Feb. 23.