UC Irvine (13-8) at
Westmont (16-4)
Date: Friday, April 12
Time: 3 p.m. (PDT)
Location: Lynn Abbott Tennis Courts - Santa Barbara, Calif.

UC Irvine (13-8, 2-3 Big West) at
UC Santa Barbara (9-7, 3-1 Big West)
Date: Saturday, April 13
Time: 1:30 p.m. (PDT)
Location: Rob Tennis Courts - Santa Barbara, Calif.

UC Irvine (13-8, 2-3 Big West) at
Cal Poly (6-9, 2-3 Big West)
Date: Sunday, April 14
Time: 11 a.m. (PDT)
Location: Mustang Tennis Complex - San Luis Obispo, Calif.

Notes (PDF)

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's tennis team will be on the road this weekend as they head up the coast to Santa Barbara to take on Westmont on Friday, April 12, and Big West opponent UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, April 13. The Anteaters will then make their way to San Luis Obispo for another conference matchup at Cal Poly on Sunday April, 14.
 
STORYLINES
• UC Irvine has an overall record of 13-8 with a conference record of 2-3.
• The Anteaters have excelled on the road this season with eight wins and only four losses.
• The 'Eaters have already bettered their win total from each of the last three years.
• UCI is unbeaten at 12-0 when winning the doubles point.
• As a team, UC Irvine has a win percentage of over .600 in both singles (71-46) and doubles (36-21).
• The Anteaters are 3-1 in dual matches decided by one point.
• Freshman Jessica Tsukiji is 5-0 when competing at No. 1 and No. 2 and leads the team with 10 singles victories.
• Sophomore Flora Amiri and junior Arianna Tilbury also rank second on the team with nine wins each.
• Freshman Alyssia Fossorier is tops on the squad with a 10-3 record in doubles.
• Fossorier has teamed up with four different partners while playing primarily at the No. 3 position.
• In her first match of the spring vs. Hope International, junior Gillian Parker remained unbeaten, improving to 6-0 in singles and doubles.
• 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.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine opened the week by sweeping Hope International, 7-0. The Anteaters came out strong against the Royals, winning all three doubles matches. Shreya Pavani and Dasee Carter cruised to a 6-0 victory at No. 3 before Jacqueline Tsodikova and Gillian Parker clinched the point with a 6-1 triumph at the second position. UCI kept the momentum in singles play with Parker and Pavani getting things started with identical 6-0, 6-0 wins at Nos. 4 and 6, respectively. Carter then took down Lauren Macdonell, 6-1, 6-0, to secure the team win. Alyssia Fossorier, Arianna Tilbury and Tsodikova also earned straight-set victories at the top three spots.
 
The 'Eaters were unable to continue their winning ways throughout the weekend as they fell to Cal State Fullerton, 4-0, before dropping a 6-1 decision at CSUN. Fossorier dispatched Sibel Demirbaga at No. 5 to account for UCI's point against the Matadors.
 
UC Irvine celebrated its two seniors, Danielle Garrido and Stephanie Hazell, following their match against the Titans.

THE OPPONENTS
Westmont (16-4) is currently on an eight-match win streak and is 8-1 at home this season. The Warriors are undefeated in the NAIA's Golden State Athletic Conference with a 12-0 record.

UC Santa Barbara (9-7, 3-1 Big West) suffered its first conference loss at Hawai'i last week. Since 2000, UC Irvine is 16-7 against the Gauchos, but has come up short in each of the last three meetings.

Cal Poly (6-9, 2-3 Big West) is on a two-game losing streak, falling at Hawai'i (March 30) and at Fresno State (April 6). The Mustangs are currently 3-1 at home and will host Cal State Fullerton before the Anteaters make their way into town. Over the last 19 years, UCI is 17-6 against Cal Poly, but suffered a 4-1 defeat at home last year.

POISED UNDER PRESSURE
UC Irvine is 3-1 in matches decided by one point this year. In early March, the Anteaters earned back-to-back 4-3 wins against Villanova and Louisiana. On Feb. 16, they also upended UC Davis, 4-3, for their first victory over the Aggies since 2016. The 'Eaters won the doubles point, but UCD came back to knot the score at 3-3 in singles. It all came down to court six where Arianna Tilbury clinched the match with a 7-6, 6-2 triumph over Jessica Walker. UCI's only 4-3 loss was at Siena in the fall (Oct. 6).
 
TSUKIJI LEADING THE WAY
Freshman Jessica Tsukiji recently saw her six-match win streak in singles come to an end at BYU on March 28. Her 6-0, 5-7, 6-0 setback was her first loss since Feb. 15. Tsukiji is still undefeated when playing at No. 1 and No. 2, and currently owns a team-best 10-3 record.
 
YOUNG GUNS
UC Irvine has a young team with seven underclassmen, including six freshmen. Making an immediate impact in their first collegiate seasons are Jessica Tsukiji and Alyssia Fossorier, who are tops on the team in singles and doubles victories, respectively. The 'Eaters do have strong leadership coming from their six upperclassmen, including seniors Stephanie Hazell and Danielle Garrido.
 
LOCAL KIDS
Twelve of the 13 Anteaters on the roster are California products. Fossorier is the lone non-California native as she hails from Honolulu, Hawaii.
 
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.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine will conclude the regular season with a single match against Long Beach State on Friday, April 19. First serve is set for 2 p.m. at Anteater Tennis Stadium.