IRVINE, Calif. – The UC Irvine women's tennis team picked up its first conference win of the season after defeating UC Davis, 4-3, Saturday at Anteater Tennis Stadium.

UCI improves to 8-3 on the season and 1-1 in Big West play. The Aggies fall to 3-4 overall and 0-1 in the conference.

It all came down to the last court as the match was tied, 3-3, before Arianna Tilbury defeated UCD's Jessica Walker at No. 6 by a score of 7-5, 6-2 to clinch the match.

The win lifted UCI over UC Davis for the first time since 2016.

INSIDE THE MATCH
Doubles
> Tilbury and Alyssia Fossorier got things started with a 6-0 win at No. 3 over Bella von Ebbe/Kristina Breisacher
> At No. 1, Stephanie Hazell and Flora Amira clinched the point with a 6-2 win

Singles
> The Aggies tied the match, 1-1, after Shiley Hall beat Fossorier, 2-6, 1-6, on court five
> Jessica Tsukiji defeated von Ebbe at No. 4, 6-2, 6-4, to put the 'Eaters up 2-1
> The Aggies took the next point at No. 2 before Danielle Garrido won at No. 3, 7-5, 6-3, over Breisacher
> Stephanie Nguyen fell at No. 1, 5-7, 2-6, as UC Davis tied things up, 3-3
> Tilbury's win at No. 6 clinched the match for the 'Eaters

QUOTES FROM THE MATCH
Head Coach Elizabeth Ferris
"What a great weekend of tennis! The match against Hawaii was tough. I thought we competed well, but Hawaii showed us why they're one of the best teams in the conference. Even in the loss there was some nice highlights with Arianna's win in singles and her doubles win with Alyssia was impressive. I thought that match prepared us well for Davis. We haven't had a lot of success against Davis in the last few seasons but everyone looked confident and ready to start the match. Winning the doubles point proved to be key today. Number 1&3 played flawlessly and number 2s gave themselves a lot of opportunities. I think our doubles chemistry is fantastic! The singles highlights were obviously Danielle, Arianna, and Jessica. However, everyone played with purpose and intensity. We fought through the tough moments really well and nobody caved. It shows how much belief we have in ourselves and each other. This weekend was a true team effort with everyone playing their role. Family and friends cheering us on also created one of the most fun environments. I'm so glad we were able to put on a good show for them. We will be excited to continue next week with another tough conference opponent."

Arianna Tilbury
"It is really exciting to start off the season with a conference win against UC Davis. I went into my matches with a strategy and a game plan and that helped me to be successful. I was focused on having good intensity and footwork which got me through the pivotal points in my weekend. Alyssia and I have great doubles chemistry and I'm looking forward to our future matches! We had great support from friends and family both days. We have a strong team this year and I hopeful for what is to come!"

Danielle Garrido
"I was excited to play today and come out with a win for the team, especially after a tough loss against Hawaii yesterday. I felt like I was able to execute what I've been working on during practice and preparing for weeks. I'm super proud of our team because it took a lot of hard work, perseverance and mental fitness to come out on top of a tough team that we lost to consecutively for the last couple of years."

UP NEXT
> UCI plays at UC Riverside Saturday, Feb. 23 at 10 a.m. 
 

Doubles
1. Stephanie Hazell/Flora Amiri (UCI) def. Kelsie Bryant/Sara Tsukamoto (UCI) 6-2
2. Nikita Pradeep/Shirley Hall (UCD) def. Danielle Garrido/Jessica Tsukiji (UCI) 7-5
3. Alyssia Fossorier/Arianna Tilbury (UCI) def. Kristina Breisacher/Isabella Von Ebbe (UCD) 6-0
Order of Finish: 1, 3*, 2

Singles
1. Nikita Pradeep (UCD) def. Stephanie Nguyen (UCI) 7-5, 6-3
2. Sara Tsukamoto (UCD) def. Flora Amiri (UCI) 2-6, 6-1, 6-1
3. Danielle Garrido (UCI) def. Kristina Breisacher (UCD) 7-5, 6-3
4. Jessica Tsukiji (UCI) def. Isabella Von Ebbe (UCD) 6-2, 6-4
5. Shirley Hall (UCD) def. Alyssia Fossorier (UCI) 6-2, 6-1
6. Arianna Tilbury (UCI) def. Jessica Walker (UCD) 7-5, 6-2
Order of Finish: 5, 4, 2, 1, 3, 6*