Big West Tournament - First Round
No. 8 UC Irvine vs.
No. 9 UC Riverside
Date: Thursday, April 25
Time: 11 a.m. (PDT)
Location: Indian Wells Tennis Garden - Indian Wells, Calif.
Live Results // Tournament Central

Notes (PDF)

IRVINE, Calif. - The eighth-seeded UC Irvine women's tennis team is set to open the Big West Tournament with a first-round match against No. 9 seed UC Riverside at 11 a.m. on Thursday, April 25. The winner advances to Friday's quarterfinal where top-seeded UC Santa Barbara awaits. The semifinals will then be held on Saturday, while the championship match is slated for a 9:30 a.m. start on Sunday, April 28.
 
STORYLINES
• This is the third year in a row UCI will square off against UCR in the first round of the Big West Tournament.
• UC Irvine swept the Highlanders, 4-0, in 2017, before dropping a 4-2 decision in 2018.
• The Anteaters' 14 total wins this year are their most since going 15-9 in 2014-15.
• The 'Eaters have won the doubles point 14 times and are 13-1 in those matches.
• As a team, UCI has a win percentage of .576 in singles (80-59) and .603 in doubles (41-27).
• Freshman Jessica Tsukiji is 6-0 when competing at No. 1 and No. 2 and leads the team with 12 singles victories.
• Junior Arianna Tilbury is not far behind with 11 wins, playing primarily at Nos. 4-6.
• Freshman Alyssia Fossorier is tops on the squad with a 13-4 record in doubles.
• Fossorier has shown her versatility, teaming up with five different partners and playing at every position.
• UC Irvine has a young squad with seven underclassmen, including six true freshmen.
 
POSTSEASON HISTORY
Since 1989, UC Irvine is 41-37 in Big West Tournament matches. The Anteaters have advanced to the championship 11 times, winning one title in 2010. They are 3-3 when playing in the first round, 19-7 in quarterfinal matches and 11-8 in the semifinals.
 
SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
UC Riverside (6-12, 0-7 Big West) dropped four of its last five matches, most recently getting swept at Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, April 20. Freshman Lindsey Gelinas (7-9) and sophomore Tia Elpusan (7-6) have played at the top two singles positions for the Highlanders. Freshman Mahil Silpachai also owns a team-leading 11 victories while playing primarily at No. 3.
 
SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine leads in its all-time series with UC Riverside, 20-1. The Anteaters' only setback came in the 2018 Big West Tournament when the Highlanders pulled off a 4-2 first-round upset. Earlier this year, the 'Eaters avenged that loss with a 5-2 victory at UCR. After dropping the doubles point, UCI fell behind, 2-0, when Danielle Garrido had to retire at No. 3. The Anteaters then rallied as Alyssia Fossorier dispatched Hanh Pham, 6-4, 6-4, at No. 5, while Stephanie Nguyen took down Lindsey Gelinas, 6-4, 6-3, at the top of the lineup. Arianna Tilbury (No. 6) would give UCI the lead before Flora Amiri clinched the victory at No. 2.
 
A GLANCE AT THE TOURNAMENT FIELD
The Anteaters are 1-6 against the rest of the Big West Tournament field with their win coming against UC Davis. If UC Irvine wins on Thursday, it will face top-seeded UC Santa Barbara in the quarterfinals on Friday. The other quarterfinal matches are already set - No. 2 Cal State Fullerton vs. No. 7 CSUN, No. 3 Long Beach State vs. No. 6 Cal Poly and No. 4 Hawai'i vs. No. 5 UC Davis.
 
LAST TIME OUT
For the first time all year, UC Irvine dropped a match in which it won the doubles point. The Anteaters got off to a strong start in their regular-season finale against Long Beach State as Alyssia Fossorier and Stephanie Nguyen took down Emma Bardet/Zara Lennon, 6-1, at No. 3. Flora Amiri and Jessica Tsukiji went on to clinch the point with a 6-4 victory over Natalia Munoz/Lalita Devarakonda at the second position. The 49ers bounced back in singles, taking four of the five completed matches. Nguyen picked up a win for UCI at No. 2, defeating Bardet, 6-2, 6-2.
 
POISED UNDER PRESSURE
UC Irvine has won three of its five matches that have been 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.
 
TSUKIJI LEADING THE WAY
Freshman Jessica Tsukiji owns a team-best 12-4 singles record. Six of her victories came during an unbeaten stretch from Feb. 16-March 24. Tsukiji has played at Nos. 1-4, and is 6-0 at the top two positions.
 
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.