IRVINE, Calif. – The UC Irvine women's tennis team closed play at the UCI Fall Invitational on Saturday.

The Anteaters again had a successful day, winning all three doubles matches played and adding five singles victories to complement the sweep in doubles.

Mackenzie Lukin was a standout for UCI on Saturday and throughout the weekend, winning all three of her singles during the invitational. Lukin, with Bella Pitchford, also went 3-0 in doubles play at the tournament.

Pitchford stood out in a similar way to Lukin over the weekend, winning all six matches she played in. The junior took home a line one singles victory on Friday, winning over UCR's Georgiana Parr 6-1 and 6-0 in just two sets. She combined with Lukin to go 3-0 in doubles matches played together during the invitational.

Overall, the Anteaters won 23 matches over the weekend. UC Irvine collected 14 singles victories and swept all doubles opportunities, winning all nine matches played in the format during the tournament.

FROM BELLA PITCHFORD

"In my singles matches I really tried to implement the things I have been working on in practice including my mindset with staying disciplined. [Lukin] and I this tournament focused on playing aggressive and focusing on our strategy to dictate how we wanted to play our points. Overall, I think the team has grown a lot this tournament mentally and strategically. I am excited to see what everyone will bring next tournament"

FROM MACKENZIE LUKIN

"For my singles matches, I really focused on stepping into my returns, while swinging fast. I also focused on playing more aggressive on the right shots, while also staying patient. For Bella and I's doubles matches, I'm proud of the energy we gave out on the court and how we stayed patient waiting for the right balls to poach and be aggressive on. This tournament was great for us to focus on our strengths and goals and I'm excited for what's to come!"

FROM HEAD COACH ELIZABETH FERRIS SMITH

"We really allowed what we've been working on in practice to shine throughout this tournament. I saw a lot more discipline with shot selection and consistency. That being said, we also stepped up and went for our shots when the opportunity was earned. Some highlights were Bella and Mack coming away with a commanding 3-0 doubles record in the #1 spot, Maily beating Kim from UCR in convincing fashion when we've struggled to have success against her, and Bella playing in elevated positions in singles and coming through 3-0."

"With 4 players away at Kramer the entire team had to step up and play in higher positions  and we handled that very well. We are really showing our depth and growth and have put ourselves in a great position to finish the fall season strong with our last tournament next weekend."

NEXT UP

UC Irvine will split its squad again, this time playing at the CSUN Fall Invitational and Pomona-Pitzer Invitational simultaneously from Nov. 7 to Nov. 9. The Anteaters will play the CSUN Fall Invitational in Northridge, Calif. and the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational in Claremont, Calif.

UCI vs. UCR | Singles
Yu (UCR) def. Quin Brady (UCI) 6-1, 6-0
Maily Huynh (UCI) def. Kim (UCR) 6-4, 6-2
Bella Pitchford (UCI) def. Li (UCR) 6-1, 4-6, 6-2
Kato (UCR) def. Sayuri Parandian (UCI) 6-1, 6-3
Mackenzie Lukin (UCI) def. Curcic (UCR) 6-4, 7-5
Ani Vanetsyan (UCI) def. Condevillamar (UCR) 7-5, 6-3
Lindsay Kim (UCI) def. Galindo (UCR) 6-1, 2-0 (Retired, injury)

Biola vs. CSULA | Singles
Radu (BU) V. Parr (CSULA) 6-0, 6-0
Kim (BU) V. Takamura (CSULA) 1-6, 6-2, 6-0
Stancheva V. Hinds (CSULA) 6-1, 6-1
Karam (BU) V. Downs (CSULA) 6-0

UCI vs. BU Doubles
Lukin/Pitchford (UCI) def. Savchenko/Andres (BU) 4-1 (Retired, injury)
M. Huynh/Brady (UCI) def. Radu/Donar (BU) 6-1
Parandian/Vanetsyan (UCI) def. Mazzeo/Kim (BU) 6-3

UCR vs. CSULA Doubles
Kato/Yu (UCR) V. Parr/Takamura (CSULA) 6-0
Kim/Li (UCR) V. Downs/Hinds (CSULA) 6-3
Vu/Paulo (UCR) V. Romano/Karam (BU) 6-1