IRVINE, Calif. — No. 7 UC Irvine women's tennis (12-9, 3-6) is set to take on No. 6 Cal State Northridge in the first round of the Big West Championship on Wednesday (Apr. 22). The matchup will be the programs' second of the season and will take place at the Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego, Calif.
Notes
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UC Irvine enters the Big West Championship as the No. 7 seed, its highest finish in regular season conference play since claiming the same spot in 2022
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The Anteaters recorded two ranked victories in 2025-26 (#64 Hawai'i and #73 Cal Poly) winning matches against multiple ranked opponents in the same season for the first time since the 2012-13 seasonÂ
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UC Irvine wrapped up the season with Bella Pitchford leading the team in overall singles dual wins, going 14-5. Pitchford and Quin Brady tied with Amanda Perez and Carolyna Fowler for the lead in doubles wins with both pairs recorded eight victories in 2026
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UCI has faced CSUN one other time this season, dropping a home match 6-1
Scouting Cal State Northridge
CSUN (14-7, 5-4) enters the Big West Championship fresh off of a 7-0 sweep of Hawai'i at home to close out a winning season. The Matadors claimed conference wins over the Rainbow Wahine, UC San Diego, Long Beach State, UC Irvine and UC Riverside in 2026.
Northridge is led by Emma Moratalla Sanz, who went 16-4 in singles overall in dual match play this season, playing primarily No. 2 and 3 line matchups. The senior claimed a Big West Player of the Week award to close out the regular season.
The single elimination championship begins on Wednesday (Apr. 22) with CSUN and UC Irvine scheduled for a 12:00 p.m. first serve.
