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COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Big West champion and 32nd-ranked UC Santa Barbara earned a hard-fought 4-3 victory over 39th-ranked Rice in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Tennis Championship, Friday at Texas A&M’s Mitchell Tennis Complex.
The Gauchos increase their win streak to 13 games and improve to a 17-8 overall record. UC Santa Barbara will advance to the second round and face No. 2 seeded-host Texas A&M (26-3), Saturday at 2 p.m. PT. It is the third time in 10 seasons that a Big West women’s tennis team has advanced past the opening match of the national tournament. Coincidentally the other two teams to achieve the feat were UC Santa Barbara in 2022 and 2016.
The Gauchos took the doubles point in dominant fashion for an early 1-0 lead.
Lucy Lu and
Lily Pradkin (UCSB) cruised past Darya Schwartzman and Nithesa Selvaraj (RU) 6-1 at the middle court. At the top position,
Amelia Honer and
Ali Benedetto (UCSB) downed Saara Orav and Francesca Maguina (RU) 6-2.
Rice would even the team score at 1-1, 2-2 and 3-3 in singles play. The first deadlock came from position No. 3 as Maguina defeated Tyra Richardson 6-1, 6-3. Honer put the Gauchos back ahead with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Schwartzman at the top of the lineup. The Owls tied the team battle once again as Divna Ratkovic topped
Marie Weissheim 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 at the No. 2 court.
Raphaelle Leroux gave UCSB the lead back with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 triumph over Selvaraj at the No. 4 slot. Orav got the win at No. 6 singles over
Katarina Vayser 7-6, 6-3 to even the team match at 3-3. With the match on the line,
Emma Tutoveanu came through and got the win at court No. 5, sealing the victory for the Gauchos with a 6-7, 6-2, 6-2 triumph over Allison Zipoli.