Thursday, October 1
La Jolla, Calif.
9 A.M
UC Irvine
at
Big West Fall Selection Event
Photo by: Jacob Thompson/UC Irvine Athletics
UCI Women’s Tennis Opens Fall Campaign at Big West Fall Selection Event
September 30, 2026 | Women's Tennis
IRVINE, Calif. – The UC Irvine women's tennis team is set to open its fall campaign at the Big West Fall Selection Event, Thursday through Sunday.
The tournament will be held at Northview Tennis Courts and Muir Courts, beginning Thursday with the Round of 32 in doubles and the Round of 64 in singles at 9 a.m. Friday and Saturday's matches will begin at 8 a.m., with Northview Tennis Courts serving as the sole venue on Saturday and Sunday. Play will resume at 9 a.m. Sunday and conclude with the doubles semifinal and final, as well as the singles final.
The 'Eaters will send nine players to the season-opening tournament, including two competitors making their UCI debuts.
"The team is excited to get the fall season underway and test their skills against the best of the Big West," head coach Elizabeth Ferris Smith said. "Although we have had limited practice, we are looking forward to starting the season playing our brand of tennis right out of the gate."
FAMILIAR FACES:
UCI welcomes eight returning players to the Anteater squad, led by senior Bella Pitchford, who paced the 2025-26 team with 17 singles wins and added 16 victories in doubles play. The 'Eaters also return seniors Quin Brady and Polina Jorniak, juniors Maily Huynh and Lindsay Kim, and sophomores Kara Chen, Mackenzie Lukin and Sayuri Parandian.
NEW ARRIVALS:
The Anteaters welcome two talented newcomers to the squad, including junior transfer Montana Parkinson and freshman Rachel Gee.
Parkinson joins UCI after spending the previous two seasons at New Mexico State University. During the 2024-25 season, she advanced to the quarterfinals of the ITA Regional Doubles Championship while posting a 12-5 singles record and an 11-3 mark in doubles. She followed that with a standout sophomore campaign in 2025-26, winning three fall tournaments and finishing the season with a 22-4 singles record. Parkinson was also named an ITA Mountain Region Player to Watch.
Gee joins the Anteaters as a five-star freshman recruit from San Jose, Calif., according to TennisRecruiting. A graduate of Evergreen Valley High School, Gee posted an 8.84 singles rating and an 8.19 doubles rating on the Ultimate Tennis Rating system during her prep career. Both Gee and Parkinson are slated to make their Anteater debuts this weekend.
TOURNAMENT SLATE:
Kara Chen and Rachel Gee will team up in doubles, with both also competing in singles.
Maily Huynh and Sayuri Parandian will pair up in doubles, while both will also compete in singles.
Montana Parkinson will make her Anteater debut alongside Bella Pitchford in doubles. Both Parkinson and Pitchford will also compete in singles.
Mackenzie Lukin and Polina Jorniak will compete together in doubles, with Lukin also slated for singles action.
Lindsay Kim will compete in singles throughout the weekend.
DRAWS:
Singles:
Montana Parkinson vs. Ruby VanCott (CSUN)
Mackenzie Lukin vs. Satsuki Ishikawa (CSUN)
Kara Chen vs. Annette Robertson (CSUN)
Maily Huynh vs. Martina Markov (Cal State Fullerton)
Lindsay Kim vs. Seha Yu (Cal State Fullerton)
Bella Pitchford vs. Cecilia Costa (Long Beach State)
Rachel Gee vs. Thea Jagare (Long Beach State)
Sayuri Parandian vs. Natalie Lynch (Cal Poly)
Doubles:
K. Chen/R. Gee vs. O. Mlouk/T. Jakupovic-Kljako (Cal Poly)
S. Parandian/M. Huynh vs. C. Walker/I. Riva (Sac State)
M. Parkinson/I. Pitchford vs. M. Puvill/M. Ramos Garcia (Cal State Fullerton)
P. Jorniak/M. Lukin vs. K. Vayser/M. Holmes (UC Santa Barbara)
Draws and Results for the weekend can be found here
UP NEXT: The 'Eaters will be back in action Oct. 15-18th as they travel to San Diego, Calif. for the ITA Southwest Regional.
The tournament will be held at Northview Tennis Courts and Muir Courts, beginning Thursday with the Round of 32 in doubles and the Round of 64 in singles at 9 a.m. Friday and Saturday's matches will begin at 8 a.m., with Northview Tennis Courts serving as the sole venue on Saturday and Sunday. Play will resume at 9 a.m. Sunday and conclude with the doubles semifinal and final, as well as the singles final.
The 'Eaters will send nine players to the season-opening tournament, including two competitors making their UCI debuts.
"The team is excited to get the fall season underway and test their skills against the best of the Big West," head coach Elizabeth Ferris Smith said. "Although we have had limited practice, we are looking forward to starting the season playing our brand of tennis right out of the gate."
FAMILIAR FACES:
UCI welcomes eight returning players to the Anteater squad, led by senior Bella Pitchford, who paced the 2025-26 team with 17 singles wins and added 16 victories in doubles play. The 'Eaters also return seniors Quin Brady and Polina Jorniak, juniors Maily Huynh and Lindsay Kim, and sophomores Kara Chen, Mackenzie Lukin and Sayuri Parandian.
NEW ARRIVALS:
The Anteaters welcome two talented newcomers to the squad, including junior transfer Montana Parkinson and freshman Rachel Gee.
Parkinson joins UCI after spending the previous two seasons at New Mexico State University. During the 2024-25 season, she advanced to the quarterfinals of the ITA Regional Doubles Championship while posting a 12-5 singles record and an 11-3 mark in doubles. She followed that with a standout sophomore campaign in 2025-26, winning three fall tournaments and finishing the season with a 22-4 singles record. Parkinson was also named an ITA Mountain Region Player to Watch.
Gee joins the Anteaters as a five-star freshman recruit from San Jose, Calif., according to TennisRecruiting. A graduate of Evergreen Valley High School, Gee posted an 8.84 singles rating and an 8.19 doubles rating on the Ultimate Tennis Rating system during her prep career. Both Gee and Parkinson are slated to make their Anteater debuts this weekend.
TOURNAMENT SLATE:
Kara Chen and Rachel Gee will team up in doubles, with both also competing in singles.
Maily Huynh and Sayuri Parandian will pair up in doubles, while both will also compete in singles.
Montana Parkinson will make her Anteater debut alongside Bella Pitchford in doubles. Both Parkinson and Pitchford will also compete in singles.
Mackenzie Lukin and Polina Jorniak will compete together in doubles, with Lukin also slated for singles action.
Lindsay Kim will compete in singles throughout the weekend.
DRAWS:
Singles:
Montana Parkinson vs. Ruby VanCott (CSUN)
Mackenzie Lukin vs. Satsuki Ishikawa (CSUN)
Kara Chen vs. Annette Robertson (CSUN)
Maily Huynh vs. Martina Markov (Cal State Fullerton)
Lindsay Kim vs. Seha Yu (Cal State Fullerton)
Bella Pitchford vs. Cecilia Costa (Long Beach State)
Rachel Gee vs. Thea Jagare (Long Beach State)
Sayuri Parandian vs. Natalie Lynch (Cal Poly)
Doubles:
K. Chen/R. Gee vs. O. Mlouk/T. Jakupovic-Kljako (Cal Poly)
S. Parandian/M. Huynh vs. C. Walker/I. Riva (Sac State)
M. Parkinson/I. Pitchford vs. M. Puvill/M. Ramos Garcia (Cal State Fullerton)
P. Jorniak/M. Lukin vs. K. Vayser/M. Holmes (UC Santa Barbara)
Draws and Results for the weekend can be found here
UP NEXT: The 'Eaters will be back in action Oct. 15-18th as they travel to San Diego, Calif. for the ITA Southwest Regional.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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