AUBURN, Ala. (Jan. 28, 2023) — Despite only having five players available, the UC Santa Barbara women's tennis team gave the 15th-ranked Auburn Tigers all they could handle on their home court Saturday morning. The Gauchos won the doubles point thanks to a huge upset and sent two singles matches to third sets before eventually falling, 4-2, in the opening match of the ITA Kickoff Weekend's Auburn Regional.
Reigning Big West Player of the Week Amelia Honer earned her third straight wins on the top doubles and singles courts to remain undefeated in dual matches this season; she and Kira Reuter won their second straight doubles match against ranked opposition, taking down the 10th-ranked partnership in the country.
The Gauchos will play the loser of #19 Arizona State versus #23 UCF in tomorrow morning's consolation match at 8 a.m. Pacific Time.
INSIDE THE MATCH
Final: UC Santa Barbara 2, #15 Auburn 4
Records: UC Santa Barbara 1-2 (1-0 Big West), #15 Auburn 3-1 (0-0 SEC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Only able to field two doubles partnerships, UC Santa Barbara needed wins on both courts to take the doubles point, and they promptly earned the first of those wins with Honer and Reuter taking down their second ranked opponent in as many doubles matches, defeating the #10 partnership in the country, 6-2. Camille Kiss and Marta Gonzalez Ballbe earned their second doubles win together to claim the point for the Gauchos.
Auburn took the first three singles points, thanks in part to winning by default on court six. But on the top three courts, Honer, Kiss, and Reuter were mounting a comeback, all against ranked opponents. Honer, ranked 49th in the nation, took down the 43rd ranked player in straight sets on court one, and Reuter won the first set on court three against #78. With Auburn only needing one win to seal the match, Kiss forced and won a tiebreaker to win the second set on court two and extend the match. The hosts would eventually clinch victory, winning in three sets on court three.
QUOTABLE
"We came in with five players, dominated the doubles, won at number one singles, and fought hard on all courts," Head Coach Simon Thibodeau said. "It was a gutsy performance, and we are proud of our grit, despite the tough loss against a top-15 team."
RESULTS
Doubles
1. Amelia Honer/Kira Reuter (UCSB) def. #10 Ariana Arsenault/Carolyn Ansari (AUB), 6-2
2. Camille Kiss/Marta Gonzalez Ballbe (UCSB) def. Angella Okutoyi/Adeline Flach (AUB), 6-3
3. DJ Bennett/Kaitlyn Carnicella (AUB) def. No player/No player (UCSB) by forfeit
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles
1. #49 Amelia Honer (UCSB) def. #43 Ariana Arseneault (AUB), 6-3, 6-1
2. Camille Kiss (UCSB) vs. #71 Carolyn Ansari (AUB), 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 0-2, unfinished
3. #78 DJ Bennett (AUB) def. Kira Reuter (UCSB), 2-6, 6-2, 6-2
4. Kaitlyn Carnicella (AUB) def. Valentina Khrebtova (UCSB), 6-2, 6-3
5. Angella Okutoyi (AUB) def. Marta Gonzalez Ballbe (UCSB), 6-2, 6-1
6. Adeline Flach (AUB) def. No player (UCSB) by forfeit
Order of finish: 6, 4, 5, 1, 3
UP NEXT
UC Santa Barbara will be back in action from Auburn tomorrow morning, playing in the consolation match of the ITA Kickoff Weekend's Auburn Regional. The Gauchos will face either #19 Arizona State or #23 UCF. The Sun Devils and Knights began their match following UCSB's clash with Auburn, and the loser will meet the Gauchos tomorrow morning. A live stream and live stats will be available on ucsbgauchos.com, and the match will feature as part of the Cracked Racquets YouTube channel's ITA Kickoff coverage. First serve is set for 8 a.m. Pacific Time.
