IRVINE, Calif. — UC Irvine women's tennis begins its dual-match season Friday (Jan. 16) at home against Houston, following up its season opener with another home match against Nevada on Sunday, Jan. 18.

Notes

• UC Irvine enters dual-match play after a strong fall where multiple Anteaters shined in the hidden-dual format, collecting 20 wins at the CSUN Fall Invitational and 14 victories at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational overall to close fall play

• The Anteaters will play a 22-match slate in 2026, with 14 matches being at UC Irvine

• UC Irvine finished 10-13 overall in dual-match play for the 2025 season

• UCI will look to capture the Big West regular season title in 2026 after finishing 1-8 in conference play in 2025

Scouting Houston

Houston visits UC Irvine as part of a three-match California road trip beginning with a doubleheader against UC Riverside and UCI, respectively, on Jan. 16. The Cougars will then get a day off before heading north to play #110 Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles on Jan. 18.

UH comes into 2026 after finishing with a 4-16 dual match record in 2025, where Houston's season ended at the hands of TCU in the first round of the Big 12 Championship.

Scouting Nevada

Nevada will come to UC Irvine as part of a two-match California trip to begin its dual-match season, beginning with Loyola Marymount on Jan. 16. Leading the Wolfpack will be senior Amahée Charrier, who went 27-7 in singles play at the No. 1 position and 15-7 in doubles during 2025.

Nevada enjoyed a record-breaking year in 2025, winning 17 games to set a new mark for the program before falling to Air Force in the Mountain West Championship quarterfinals.