IRVINE, Calif. – Winning every match it played on Wednesday, UCI women's tennis took down Oakland (3-8) to extend its winning streak to five, its longest since the 2018-19 season.
UCI (7-4, 0-2) opened doubles play by swiftly clinching the day's opening point. A Carolyna Fowler/Amanda Perez combination on the No. 1 line won the day's first decision, followed by a No. 3 line victory by Bella Pitchford and Quin Brady to clinch Wednesday's doubles point. All matches against Oakland were scheduled to continue regardless of clinches, resulting in an extra win for UC Irvine on the No. 2 line, where Yen Nhi Huynh and Maily Huynh teamed up for a 6-4 win.
In singles play, UCI's domination continued. Starting with Sayuri Parandian winning on the No. 6 line in two sets (6-2, 6-0), the Anteaters rolled on their way to a fifth straight win. Following Parandian were two-set winners by Fowler, Haily Huynh, Y. Huynh, M. Huynh and Pitchford. H. Huynh's victory clinched the overall win for UCI, and was the captain senior's second straight match clinching singles win in as many matches.
FROM ASSISTANT COACH HERMONT LEGASPI
"Our doubles play against Oakland showcased more of our level than what we had on Monday. The team's energy and focus were aligned from the start, which kept our pairings sharp whenever they established their plays and intentions on-court. All of our energy in doubles carried on towards singles effectively and each of the spots today were resilient with what they do best. I'm so proud of Sayuri for stepping up today with her match and choosing to own her shots, as well as the rest of the team for taking care of business without losing a single set! This team is making good strides with our depth and hunger, but more of these later matches in the season will only test us how far we can go and how far we are willing to go given the various circumstances we have!"
FROM CAPTAIN CAROLYNA FOWLER
"Doubles with Amanda was really solid today. We kept it simple, stayed aggressive, and were purposeful with every shot. It felt good to bounce back after losing the doubles point on Monday. In singles, my mentality was just to apply pressure by getting her tough shots back and forcing her to hit one more ball. I loved the energy everyone had today, it helped me stay motivated to get every point. Let's bring this energy tomorrow! Go 'Eaters!"
FROM SAYURI PARANDIAN
"Today was a great match. I am proud of the team staying mentally strong and disciplined throughout the whole day. I am proud of myself today for playing in and closing out the match by playing my game. I am happy I took this opportunity to showcase my game. I have no doubt our team will continue this positive trend and continue to try our best, getting every ball! Go 'Eaters!"
UP NEXT
The Anteaters have a quick turnaround, facing off against Seton Hall on Thursday (Mar. 5) with a 1:00 p.m. first serve scheduled.
