Box Score IRVINE, Calif. – The Anteaters rose up to defeat Utah State 4-2 on Saturday afternoon inside the Anteater Tennis Stadium.

Due to the weather conditions, the two teams agreed to play clinch-clinch with singles competitions first followed by doubles.
 
The Anteaters went 3-2 in singles action, with Amanda Perez and Haily Huynh winning at the No. 4 and No. 5 positions in straight sets. Freshman Asha Gidwani also won in straight sets to clinch the singles victory but battled down to the wire to win the second set, 7-5.
 
Doubles action had started before Jenna Schlatter had completed her singles match. Schlatter came back from behind to win the second set at No. 1 7-6 (5), forcing a third set. The two players went point-for-point, but walked away as the UC Irvine duo's of Carloyna Fowler/Emily Fowler and Gidwani/Perez worked together to earn the two doubles points that allowed the Anteaters to clinch the match.

"We had a great match with Utah State today," said assistant coach Benjamin Cook. "Everyone on our team fought for every point. We were able to play smart, pick our targets, and take advantage of the opportunities that were given to us!  This was a great win for our team today and we want to carry our fighting mentality with us for tomorrow and the rest of the season."

SINGLES DRAWS
Ozturk (Utah St.) vs. Jenna Schlatter (UCI) 6-3, 6-7 (5), 4-4 unfinished
Burton (Utah St.) defeated Alyssia Fossorier (UCI) 6-4, 6-3
Asha Gidwani (UCI) defeated Pureco Nunez (Utah St.) 6-2, 7-5
Amanda Perez (UCI) defeated H. Brilhante (Utah St.) 6-1, 6-4
Haily Huynh (UCI) defeated J. Brilhante (Utah St.) 6-1, 6-2
Nespor (Utah St.) defeated Larissa Teramura (UCI) 6-1, 6-3

DOUBLES
Burton/Ozturk (Utah St.) vs. Schlatter/Fossorier (UCI), unfinished
C. Fowler/E. Fowler (UCI) defeated Lavatai/County (Utah St.), 6-4
Gidwani/Perez (UCI) defeated H. Brilhante/Pureco Nunez (CSUF), 6-1

WHAT THE PLAYERS HAD TO SAY:
"I am so proud of the intensity and focus that Lyna and I had in doubles. We stuck to our strategy and executed the game plan. Today in specific, we were extremely motivated, and I am very proud of Lyna for how hard she fought. I'm so excited for our away game tomorrow at Northridge!" -Emily Fowler
 
"I am very happy with the way I played today being able to close out the match fast. I am so proud of my teammates for keeping their energy up and never giving up. It really helped seeing my teammates so energized and positive. So glad we pulled out the W! Go 'Eaters!!" -Haily Huynh
 
"I am so proud of the energy and effort that the team put on court today! Considering the weather complications that changed our order of play, I am glad we were able to start off strong! Emily and I played to our potential today and I am glad we held all of our serve games. Today definitely showed how persistent our team is and I'm so proud of our energy on and off the court. Go 'Eaters!!" -Carolyna Fowler
 
UP NEXT
UCI heads up to CSUN on Sunday, Mar. 12 for an 11 a.m. start.