Tucson, Ariz – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Tennis team fought hard but ultimately fell to Arizona in a tightly contested 4-3 match at the LaNelle Robson Tennis Center on Friday.
THE MATCH
Final: UC Santa Barbara 3, Arizona 4
Records: UC Santa Barbara (2-4), Arizona (6-3)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Arizona took the early lead in doubles, as Belen Nevenhoven and Josie Usereau defeated
Emma Tutoveanu and
Ali Benedetto 6-1 at No. 2. UCSB responded at the top spot, with No. 17-ranked
Amelia Honer and Anna Weissheim rolling to a 6-2 win. With the doubles point on the line,
Lucy Lu and
Lily Pradkin found themselves in a nail-biting duel on court three. Tied at 4-4, the Gaucho duo won two straight games to secure a 6-4 victory, giving UCSB the early 1-0 advantage.
In singles, Honer kept the momentum going with a dominant 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 1, but Arizona answered on court four, where Tanvi Narendran defeated
Ali Benedetto 6-3, 6-2. The Wildcats then evened the match as Martyna Ostrzygalo topped Anna Weissheim 6-2, 6-4 on court two. On court six, Pradkin bounced back to take the second set after dropping the first, but ultimately fell 6-0, 4-6, 6-2. Arizona then clinched the match at No. 5, as Danielle Tuhten edged Tutoveanu 7-5, 6-4.
With the match already decided,
Tyra Richardson closed strong for the Blue and Gold, grinding out a 6-3, 7-6 win over No. 121 Midori Castillo-Meza.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. #17
Amelia Honer/Anna Weissheim (UCSB) def. Midori Castillo-Meza/Martyna Ostrzygalo (ARIZ) 6-2
2. Belen Nevenhoven/Josie Usereau (ARIZ) def.
Emma Tutoveanu/
Ali Benedetto (UCSB) 6-1
3.
Lucy Lu/
Lily Pradkin (UCSB) def. Danielle Tuhten/Zoya Chulak (ARIZ) 6-4
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3
Singles
1. #14
Amelia Honer (UCSB) def. #34 Josie Usereau (ARIZ) 6-3 6-1
2. Martyna Ostrzygalo (ARIZ) def. Anna Weissheim (UCSB) 6-2 6-4
3.
Tyra Richardson (UCSB) def. #121 Midori Castillo-Meza (ARIZ) 6-3 7-6
4. Tanvi Narendran (ARIZ) def.
Ali Benedetto (UCSB) 6-3 6-2
5. Danielle Tuhten (ARIZ) def.
Emma Tutoveanu (UCSB) 7-5 6-4
6. Zoya Chulak (ARIZ) def.
Lily Pradkin (UCSB) 6-0 4-6 6-2
Order of finish: 1, 4, 2, 6, 5, 3
UP NEXT
The Gauchos take on No. 23 Texas Tech on Saturday, Feb. 15, at the LaNelle Robson Tennis Center. First serve is set for 10 a.m. (PT).