The UCSB women’s tennis team split a pair of matches over the long weekend, winning its home opener against unranked University of Texas San-Antonio Saturday, only to lose to #36 UC Irvine the following day.
Coming off a dominant 6-1 win over Cal State Fullerton, the Gauchos (2-2 overall, 1-1 in the Big West) quickly converted that momentum into a 5-2 win against UTSA (2-5). Seniors Marta Simic and Charlotte Scatliffe easily put away top-seeded freshman Caroline Dedering and junior Karen Scida 8-2 in doubles play, while the Gaucho duo of freshman Jill Damion and sophomore Asagi Onaga followed suit in their 8-4 victory over junior Monika Drabkova and senior Tanya Hasking in second-seeded doubles. UCSB completed their third straight doubles sweep when sophomore Tova Hausman and senior Brittany Kausen handled sophomore Holly Phillips and junior Nathalie Wallin 8-2.
Simic convincingly recorded a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Scida in top-seeded singles, but the Roadrunners fought back as Wallin was able to come back against Scatliffe 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the second-seeded match. Damion easily beat Drabkova 6-2, 6-1, and Onaga was able to clinch the overall victory for UCSB with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Dedering in the third and fourth spots, respectively.
Though Hausman posted the win against Hasking 6-2, 6-1 in fifth-ranked singles, Kausen extended her singles losing streak to three matches with a 6-4, 7-6 loss to Phillips.
“Our doubles continues to be a plus for us this year,” Head Coach Pete Kirkwood said. “After sweeping [the doubles point in] three straight matches, I think we have been playing up to our potential.”
UCSB’s doubles potential was not enough to record their fourth straight doubles point against the Anteaters (2-4, 2-0 Big West) even with an 8-4 Simic/Scatliffe win over senior Becky Bernhard and junior Clare Fermin in the first-ranked match. After the loss, UCI came out on top in two close doubles matches, as seniors Inna Agababian and Jessica Broadfoot won 8-6 over Damion and Onaga, while Hausman and Kausen could not complete the comeback in a 9-7 loss to juniors Ali Borowicz and Heidi Kaloi.
Singles fared no better for UCSB, as Bernhard held off Simic for a 6-4, 7-6 victory, and Jill Damion, moved to the second spot for the first time this year, lost a heartbreaking three-set match to the veteran Agababian 6-4, 6-7, 14-12. Scatliffe lost to Fermin 6-1, 6-2 in the third spot, while Onaga recorded UCSB’s only singles point in her hard-fought three set comeback win, 0-6, 7-6, 10-8.Hausman lost to Kaloi 6-2, 6-2 in fifth-ranked singles, while senior Juliette Mutzke recorded her first start of the year at the sixth-spot in a shutout loss against Borowicz 6-0, 6-0.
