Seniors Marta Simic and Charlotte Scatliffe set the tone for the UCSB women’s tennis team’s fifth match of the season in a dominating 8-1 victory over Eastern Michigan’s top-ranked doubles squad en route to a 6-1 Gaucho victory over the visiting Eagles.

The EMU (3-5 overall) senior pair of Vanessa Frankowski and Catharina Bestehorn had no chance against their Gaucho (3-2) counterparts, who extended their unbeaten doubles streak to five games. In second-seeded doubles, freshman Jill Damion and sophomore Asagi Onaga defeated the Eagle duo of freshmen Sandra Wikstrom and Aleksandra Stankovic 8-4. The winning theme continued into third-ranked doubles, as sophomore Tova Hausman and senior Brittany Kausen handled senior Aditi Krishnan and junior Joanna Woo 8-5. This was the Gaucho’s fourth doubles sweep in five games this season.

“We feel like doubles is our strength,” Head Coach Pete Kirkwood said. “The doubles point is a big point to get, especially when we start playing against the upper echelon teams. We feel like we can win that point against any team on our schedule.”

In number one singles, Simic defeated Frankowski 6-7, 6-1, 1-0 (6) in a grueling three-set match that spanned the entirety of the meeting, while Damion bounced back after a disheartening loss at Irvine by defeating Krishman 6-2, 6-2 in second-ranked singles. In perhaps the most efficient singles match, Scatliffe dispatched Wikstrom 6-0, 6-1 in third-ranked doubles. Onaga dropped her first match in four tries in a 3-6, 0-6 loss to Bestehorn, while Kausen recorded her first singles victory of the year in a 6-4, 6-2 win over Woo in the sixth spot. Hausman wrapped up the overall victory for UCSB with a 4-6, 6-1, 1-0 (3) comeback win over Stankovic.

UCSB returns to the road this weekend to face off against Northern Arizona, Arizona and Arizona State starting Friday in Flagstaff, Ariz.