SAN DIEGO - The UC Santa Barbara Women's Tennis team fell to the Toreros on Sunday afternoon at the Hogan Tennis Center. Strong performances by Emma Tutoveanu and Amelia Honer got the Gauchos on the board, but it would not be enough to take a victory over the San Diego team. The 5-2 loss caps off the first weekend of the season as the Gauchos went 0-2 on the road against the Tigers and Toreros. 

THE MATCH
Final: UC Santa Barbara 2, USD 5
Records: UC Santa Barbara 0-2, USD 1-1

HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a tough battle from the start for the Gauchos as the doubles point went to the Toreros. Raphaelle Leroux and Lily Pradkin would be the first pair to fall followed by Marie Weissheim and Amelia Honer who would only get one game on their opponent in the 6-1 set. 

The Gauchos looked to get some points on the board as the singles matchups got underway. The first courts to finish would be tough losses for the Blue and Gold as Raphaelle Leroux on court five and Marie Weissheim in the second position fell in straight sets. As the Toreros looked for just one more point for the victory, Emma Tutoveanu kept the Gauchos in the hunt with an impressive 6-4, 6-3 win. The Toreros secured their last point needed over Tyra Richardson on court three, but Amelia Honer was able to get the Gauchos another point regardless as her opponent retired with Honer ahead 3-0 in the third set. Ali Benedetto put up a tough fight as she took the first set 7-5. She would battle for the second set in a tiebreak but ultimately drop both the second set and the tiebreak for the match as the Gauchos finished behind 5-2. 

RESULTS
Doubles
1. #38 Claudia de las Heras/Kailey Evans (USD-W) def. #9 Anna Weissheim/Amelia Honer (UCSB) 6-1 
2. Anni Puls/Hannah Read (USD-W) vs. Ali Benedetto/Lucy Lu (UCSB) 4-1, unfinished 
3. Kristina Nordikyan/Gabby Gregg (USD-W) def. Raphaelle Leroux/Lily Pradkin (UCSB) 6-0
Order of finish: 3,1

Singles
1. #16 Amelia Honer (UCSB) def. Claudia de las Heras (USD-W) 3-6, 6-4, 3-0, retired 
2. #31 Kailey Evans (USD-W) def. Anna Weissheim (UCSB) 6-4, 6-1 
3. Kristina Nordikyan (USD-W) def. Tyra Richardson (UCSB) 6-4, 6-3 
4. Anni Puls (USD-W) def. Ali Benedetto (UCSB) 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 10-2 
5. #105 Hannah Read (USD-W) def. Raphaelle Leroux (UCSB) 6-0, 6-2 
6. Emma Tutoveanu (UCSB) def. Gabby Gregg (USD-W) 6-4, 6-3
Order of finish: 5,2,6,3,1,4

UP NEXT 
The Gauchos will head to the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Ann Arbor, Michigan facing Vanderbilt and Michigan or Yale starting on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 11 a.m. PT. Live scores and video will be made available here.