Schedule
Match 1
Friday, February 25, 2022 at 1:00 PM
UC Santa Barbara at LMU
LMU Tennis Center – Los Angeles, Calif.
Livestats
Match 2
Saturday, February 26, 2022 at 12:00 PM
UC Santa Barbara at USC
David X. Marks Tennis Stadium – Los Angeles, Calif.
Livestats
Gauchos Look to Continue Four Match Win Streak
The Gauchos are currently on a four-match win streak, having won all three of their matches over the holiday weekend. On Friday, Santa Barbara dominated PAC-12 opponent Washington State 7-0 and went on to beat San Diego 5-2 on Sunday and UC Davis 4-0 on Monday. Shakhnoza Khatamova and Elizaveta Volodko both went a perfect 6-0 on the weekend, including 3-0 as court one doubles partners. Khatamova was 3-0 on court one singles while Volodko was undefeated on court two.
Time to Start a Streak
With three matches in four days, the Gauchos have an opportunity to get hot coming off their 6-1 victory over San Francisco on Feb. 5. Against the Dons', the Santa Barbara came back to win the doubles point and Camille Kiss had a triumphant 6-0, 6-0 shutout on singles court three. The USF win came less than 24 hours after taking on UCLA in Los Angeles, a match which the Bruins won 4-0.
ITA Kickoff Weekend at UCF
The Gauchos travelled to Orlando for the second weekend of the dual match season and took on UCF and Arizona State. Against UCF, the Gauchos lost 4-2, but Camille Kiss was a bright spot, defeating the Knights' No. 102 Marie Mattel in two sets, 6-2, 7-6 (7-6). Shakhnoza Khatamova and Elizaveta Volodko also secured a 6-3 win on doubles court one. Santa Barbara dropped their match against Arizona State 4-1, but Khatamova took home a 6-2, 7-6 (7-2) win over the Sun Devil's Giulia Morlet on court one.
Strong Opening Weekend
The Gauchos went 1-1 to begin the dual season, dropping their opening match to No. 9 California by a score of 6-1, but bouncing back to beat St. Mary's 4-0 less than 24 hours later. UCSB snatched the doubles point against the Golden Bears, which included a 6-2 win for Shakhnoza Khatamova and Elizaveta Volodko over the no. 27 ranked doubles team in the nation on court one. The St. Mary's win was highlighted by Amelia Honer and Kira Reuter clinching the doubles point for Santa Barbara, erasing a 4-0 deficit and winning the tiebreaker 7-1. Camille Kiss secured the victory for the Gauchos with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 comeback win of her own against the Gaels' Julia Ronney in number three singles.
Live Stream
Live stream coverage of each court will be provided for all home matches this season courtesy of PlaySight. To watch any of the six courts in competition, simply click this link, and select the court you want to watch.
Arnhold Tennis Center
The Gauchos are playing their home matches this season in their brand new facility: the Arnhold Tennis Center. The center features a digital scoreboard, raised stadium seating, and live stream cameras on every court.
Run it Back
The defending Big West Champions are back on the courts for the dual match season and will be looking to become repeat champions once again as they did in 2016 and 2017. Before falling in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament to Stanford, the Gauchos rode a 12-match winstreak to the Big West Championship where they swept rival Cal Poly to hoist the trophy once again. They finished the year with a 13-4 overall record and went an undefeated 8-0 in conference play. Heading into the 2022 season, UCSB boasts the reigning Big West Coach of the Year in Simon Thibodeau, the reigning Big West Player of the Year in Shakhnoza Khatamova, and last year's Big West Freshman of the Year, Camille Kiss.
Killer Khatamova
Reigning Big West Player of the Year, Shakhnoza Khatamova, started off her senior year with some flare back in November when she went undefeated at the Stanford Invitational. All-together she won all three of her singles matches, dropping just one set in the tourney, and won both of her doubles bouts alongside her veteran partner Elizaveta Volodko.
Women of Troy Invitational
In mid-October the Gauchos traveled south to take part in the Women of Troy Invitational hosted by USC. Among other singles and doubles wins by the Gauchos, the headline belonged to reigning Big West Freshman of the Year Camille Kiss as she highlighted the first day of competition by taking down a then ranked opponent in San Diego's #107 Jordyn McBride 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Kiss would go on to win her flight in the tourney taking down CSUN's Jolene Coetzee 6-2, 6-2 and Eva Marie Voracek from LMU 6-4, 6-3.
Cal Fall Invitational
UCSB took the courts for the first time this season back in September at the Cal Fall Invitational and did not disappoint going 23-12 in tournament.
Freshman Amelia Honer won the singles consolation bracket in her collegiate debut defeating Angelina Ruja from Pacific 3-6, 7-6, 10-4. On the doubles side, three Gaucho duos in Shakhnoza Khatamova & Honer, Camille Kiss & Marta Gonzalez Ballbe, and Kira Reuter & Filippa Bruu-Syversen all advanced to the final round of their respective draws.
