IRVINE, Calif. – UC Irvine dropped to Dartmouth, 6-1, on Friday afternoon inside the Anteater Tennis Stadium.
 
The Anteaters went down 1-0 in doubles before bringing it to 1-1 with a 6-4 win from Carolyna Fowler and Asha Gidwani on court two. Graduate student Jenna Schlatter and sophomore Larissa Teramura paired up for the No. 3 doubles match and emerged with a 6-4 win to clinch the doubles point.
 
Dartmouth won four straight individual matches on courts two, six, five, and one to clinch the victory and go ahead 4-1.
 
C. Fowler was the fifth to finish her match of the day, winning the first singles set for the Anteaters and force a deciding third game. Haily Huynh also played three sets, hers at the No. 4 spot. Huynh won the first set, 6-1, but dropped the final two.
 
"Doubles was fantastic today," exclaimed head coach Elizabeth Ferris Smith. "Dartmouth one's started to roll, but our one's did a good job of holding them off. They'll look forward to working into their games right away next match. Two's played flawlessly. Asha [Gidwani] and Carolyna [Fowler] have a lot of history together as a double's teams from juniors. There is a comfort level and trust that allows them to play smooth and with total confidence. Once two's won, it all came down to court three. Larissa [Teramura] and Jenna [Schlatter] had a 3-1 lead but lost a few tough games to go down 4-3. Their ability to not panic and remain coachable helped them secure that win. They're shaking up to be a very reliable team. They're starting to communicate better and hit their shots a little sharper. The team has handled playing with different doubles partners and in different spots in the lineup well."

"Carolyna and Haily [Huynh] stepped up into higher spots today and played strong with a lot of confidence and energy. They accepted the challenge. They're both doing all the things we are working on in practice. I was happy to see a Jenna make a late run in the second, but her Oppenheimer is as too rough. We have some days off and then a few focused practices to get ready for CSUN."
 
DOUBLES
Lexi Dewire/Elizabeth Fahrmeier (DART) def. Emily Fowler/Kayla Meraz (UCI) 6-2
Carolyna Fowler/Asha Gidwani (UCI) def. Peyton Capuano/Michela Moore (DART) 6-4
Jenna Schlatter/Larissa Teramura (UCI) def. Brooke Hess/Caroline Lemcke (DART) 6-4
 
SINGLES DRAWS
Capuano (DART) def. Jenna Schlatter (UCI) 6-3, 6-3
Moore (DART) def. Asha Gidwani (UCI) 6-3, 6-0
Dewire (DART) def. Carolyna Fowler (UCI) 6-4, 2-6, 6-2
Lemcke (DART) def. Haily Huynh (UCI) 1-6, 7-5, 10-4
Fahrmeier (DART) def. Larissa Teramura (UCI) 6-3, 6-2
Hess (DART) def. Emily Fowler (UCI) 6-2, 6-2
 
EXHIBITION DOUBLES
Nour Khayat/Cydney Yamamoto (UCI) def. Valentina Cruz/Ameliija Swaffer-Selff (DART) 6-4
 
EXHIBITION SINGLES
Katie Weber (DART) def. Nour Khayat (UCI) 6-0, 6-3
Swaffer-Selff (DART) def. Cydney Yamamoto (UCI) 6-3 (one set)
Cruz (DART) def. Mia Totah (UCI) 6-0 (one set)
 
WHAT THE PLAYERS HAD TO SAY
"I am happy with the way I was able to compete and win the first games easily. I had the match with two match points, but she played extremely well towards the end to close it out so props to her. I am happy with the new pairings they are doing amazing at doubles, and we are still a young team. I know it's only going up from here." -Haily Huynh

"I am extremely happy with Larissa and I's clinch in doubles today. We have been working extremely hard on our doubles game in practice and it paid off in today's match! We had a lot of great energy out there, but singles didn't go our way today. There's always a lot to learn from so that we can improve moving forward for our next matches! Go 'Eaters." -Jenna Schlatter

"I would like to start off by saying how proud I am of everyone especially in doubles today. Playing with Asha was nostalgic because we were so dominant in juniors and I'm glad that we picked up where we left off. Singles was tough, but I think I handled it well and focused on my game. There's always something to improve on and I'm excited to put in some work for the matches to come. Go 'Eaters!" -Carolyna Fowler
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine resumes action on Sunday Mar. 24 with a Big West match with CSUN inside the Anteater Tennis Stadium.