IRVINE, Calif. --- A tight Big West match Sunday went to the visitors CSUN at Anteater Tennis Stadium narrowly edging the Anteaters, 4-3.
The doubles point was a nailbiter after CSUN (6-4, 2-2) took one set with ease, 6-1, at No. 3. The other two courts needed tiebreakers to settle the point.
Ysabel Gonzalez-Rico and
Jenna Schlatter perservered at No. 2 doubles to win the tiebreaker, 7-2, but the Matadors fought back at No. 1 winning it, 7-5, to secure the important doubles point and lead, 1-0.
Singles went CSUN's way early with two straight set wins at Nos. 4 and 6 to open the lead to 3-0, but the Anteaters (6-10, 1-3) clawed back in with Schlatter on the verge of a straight set victory winning by a retirement, and then
Jessica Tsukiji earning a second-set tiebreaker to win in straight sets and close the match to 3-2.
The Matadors completed the win holding onto the advantage in the third set at No. 5 to clinch the fourth and final point. Gonzalez-Rico came back after a first-set loss to win in three sets at No. 1 in the 4-3 defeat.
UCI drops to 1-3 in conference finishing the weekend 2-1 after the doubleheader win Saturday. UCI is now 2-3 on their seven-game homestand with two more left coming up on April 1 and 2.
Gonzalez-Rico continued her string of victories now with seven straight in singles and going 5-0 on the weekend in doubles and singles. Tsukiji has also built a three-match singles win streak. Gonzalez-Rico and Schlatter returned to doubles play to win and are now 6-2 as a duo this season. The Anteaters were at full strength and a top-6 lineup for the first time all season including Schlatter completing her first singles match in dual play.
Postmatch Thoughts vs. CSUN
Ysabel Gonzalez-Rico - "I am very proud of the way the team fought for every point. Jenna and I stayed steady in doubles and were able to get the win playing out game. I am also very happy with the way I competed and fought back from a set down in singles! Looking forward to a little break after this long weekend."
Jessica Tsukiji - "It was a tough loss today, but nonetheless It was really fun to be out there competing. The energy was great and it definitely helped me pull out my singles match today. Overall, it was a great weekend and I think we gained a lot of confidence in ourselves and our games. I'm excited to come back even stronger for the rest of the season!"
Jenna Schlatter - "I was so excited to be back on the court today in both singles and boules. We had great energy out on the court today, and I'm proud of how everyone fought! Ysa and I were able to come back and get a win in doubles which helped me stay pumped in my singles match. Overall, it was a great team effort and I look forward to being back on the court after our spring break!"
