IRVINE, Calif. – Winning an exhilarating Senior Day match, UC Irvine women's tennis (12-7, 3-4) took down #73 Cal Poly 4-3 to close its home season.

After a rain delay pushed what was originally scheduled as an 11:00 a.m. first serve to 1:00 p.m., the day started with singles play as opposed to opening with doubles per usual. 

Despite the sudden change in schedule, UCI sprinted out to a 3-1 start in singles, picking up wins on the No. 1, No. 6 and No. 5 lines from Yen Nhi Huynh, Maily Huynh and Bella Pitchford, respectively. All three Anteaters claimed their victories in straight sets.

After the Anteaters dropped the final two singles matches of the day, UCI and Cal Poly (11-7, 6-1) went to best-of-three doubles matchups for the final point of the day. UC Irvine dropped the No. 2 line match and fell down 1-0 in doubles, but did not trail for long. Quickly after the No. 2 match ended, Pitchford and Haily Huynh combined for a 6-1 No. 3 line victory, tying the doubles score at two.

In perhaps the most dramatic ending to a match on the season, the senior pair of Carolyna Fowler and Amanda Perez were the ones to clinch UCI's second ranked victory of the year. Winning the first game of the first-to-six set and never relinquishing the lead, Fowler and Perez took down Cal Poly on the No. 1 line by way of a 6-3 finish, lighting up the packed bleachers when a Perez shot was returned into the net by the Mustangs.

From Assistant Coach Hermont Legaspi:
"I'm so glad for the way the team performed with their hearts on their sleeves the whole way through given the circumstances we had leading up to the match. We had no idea whether or not the match was going to end up being rained out, but thankfully we got our 'Eater courts dried up and made our special Senior Day happen! All of the singles courts today were hard fought battles, but we were able to keep everything as close as we could. I'm super proud of Yen, Bella and Maily for taking care of business on their courts and owning their rights to win with their style of play against opponents who have also played well this season! The seniors had tough battles, but they played their heart and soul out nonetheless. 

Doubles was energetic amongst all the courts given that we ended up being 3-3 in the overall score! We owned every single moment in our doubles, from the support between points amongst the pairings to the reflex volleys and intense poaches during various back-and-forth exchanges. 'Lyna and Amanda trusted in themselves to play in their terms, especially through their mid-match moments of adversity. There's no other way to describe how pumped I was for our team and for the seniors to be celebrated this way! We're far from done though, with our upcoming matches remaining before the Big West Championship, but we showed that we as a unit are a force to be reckoned with through our determination to succeed on our own terms!"

From Senior Captain Haily Huynh:
"I am so happy with the way this day was written out for us. Everyone played their heart out and it really showed throughout all lines. This was an amazing Senior Day and i wouldn't want it any other way. I am so grateful and I am happy to close the last home match this way! GO 'EATERS!"

From Senior Captain Carolyna Fowler:
"What a way to close out our last home match. The energy and passion that my teammates had, as well as everyone in the stands, motivated me to fight for every point. I am so proud of everyone. Their determination and grit got us the win today, it was a true team effort. Amanda and I were able to handle the pressure and play in our usual aggressive fashion. Singles was a tough battle but I look forward to fine tuning those details in practice so I can sharpen my game for next weekend. GO 'EATERS!"

SINGLES RESULTS

1. Yen Nhi Huynh (UCI) def. Kennedy Buntrock (CP) 6-0, 6-3

2. Jessica MacCallum (CP) def. Amanda Perez (UCI) 6-2, 6-3

3. Candela Aparisi (CP) def. Carolyna Fowler (UCI) 7-6 (14-12), 3-6, 6-4

4. Alexandra Ozerets (CP) def. Haily Huynh (UCI) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2

5. Bella Pitchford (UCI) def. Natalie Lynch (CP) 6-2, 7-6 (7-2)

6. Maily Huynh (UCI) def. Sarah MacCallum (CP) 6-4, 6-1

DOUBLES RESULTS

1. Carolyna Fowler/Amanda Perez (UCI) def. Buntrock/J. MacCallum (CP) 6-3

2. Aparisi/Lynch (CP) def. Yen Nhi Huynh/Maily Huynh 6-1

3. Bella Pitchford/Haily Huynh (UCI) def. S. MacCallum/Ozerets 6-1

Order of finish: Doubles (2, 3, 1*); Singles (1, 2, 6, 5, 3, 4)

UP NEXT

UCI gets the week off before taking on Long Beach State on Saturday (Apr. 18) on the road.