SAN DIEGO, Calif – The No. 32 UC Santa Barbara Women's Tennis team clinched the 2025 Big West Championship with a 4-2 victory over No. 59 Cal Poly on Sunday afternoon at the Barnes Tennis Center. The singles comeback secured the Gauchos third title in five years and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
It was bound to be a battle for the title from the start as the Mustangs took the early lead in doubles. Lucy Lu and Lily Pradkin would fall 6-3 on court two, but Ali Benedetto and Amelia Honer were right behind with a 6-3 win on court one to keep the Gauchos in the running for the point. Raphaelle Leroux and Marie Weissheim kept in a tight battle on court three but ultimately dropped the set, 7-5. 

Trailing 1-0, the Gauchos looked for their first points in singles and found it with Amelia Honer's 6-1, 6-1 victory on court one. Raphaelle Leroux added Santa Barbara's second point with a 6-4, 6-2 win. Marie Weissheim pulled the Gauchos' lead to 3-1 as she forced a third set on court two and won it 6-2. Cal Poly took the lead on court five with their second and ultimately last point of the day coming from a 7-5, 6-3 win over Emma Tutoveanu. 

Both teams vied for the title in third set duels on courts three and six. Tyra Richardson came up big once more this season for the Gauchos. After dropping the first set, Richardson fired back 6-4 in the second. She found Santa Barbara's clinching point in a thrilling and dominant 6-2 third set as the Gauchos emerged victorious on Championship Sunday. 

Katarina Vayser was in a thrilling third set of her own when the Gauchos clinched the title. After her opponent took the lead in the third, she battled back to tie it up at 5-5. The match was left with Vayser trailing by just one game. 

RESULTS
Doubles
1. Ali Benedetto and Amelia Honer (UCSB) def. Kennedy Buntrock and Romane Mosse (CP) 6-3 
2. Peyton Dunkle and Amy Leather (CP) def. Lucy Lu and Lily Pradkin (UCSB) 6-3 
3. Natalie Lynch and Jessica MacCallum (CP) def. Raphaelle Leroux and Anna Weissheim 7-5 (UCSB)

Order of finish: 2,1,3

Singles
1. #16 Amelia Honer (UCSB) def. Kennedy Buntrock (CP) 6-1, 6-1
2. Anna Weissheim (UCSB) def. Peyton Dunkle (CP) 2-6, 6-1, 6-2
3. Tyra Richardson (UCSB) def. Romane Mosse (CP) 1-6, 6-4, 6-2
4. Raphaelle Leroux (UCSB) def. Alexandra Ozerets (CP) 6-4, 6-2
5. Jessica MacCallum (CP) def. Emma Tutoveanu (UCSB) 7-5, 6-3
6. Katarina Vayser (UCSB) vs. Natalie Lynch (CP) 6-3, 3-6, 5-6, unfinished

Order of finish: 1,4,2,5,3 

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will await the announcement of their NCAA Tournament opponent with the selection show set for Monday at 2 p.m. PT.