Jeff Liang

Gauchos Conclude Non-Conference Play at Pepperdine, Return Home for Two Big West Matchups

4/9/2025 10:00:00 AM

MALIBU, Calif. - The No. 42 UC Santa Barbara Women's Tennis team will face their last non-conference opponent on Wednesday with a trip to No. 26 Pepperdine before a return home to Arnhold Tennis Center this weekend for matches against UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton.

DETAILS

Match 19

Thursday, April 10 | 1 p.m.

No. 42 UC Santa Barbara (10-8) at No. 26 Pepperdine (9-9)

Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center | Malibu, Calif.
Live Stream

Match 20

Saturday, April 12 | 11 a.m.

No. 42 UC Santa Barbara (10-8) vs. UC Irvine (10-8)

Arnhold Tennis Center | Santa Barbara, Calif.

Match 21

Sunday, April 13 | 11 a.m.

No. 42 UC Santa Barbara (10-8) vs. Cal State Fullerton (9-7)

Arnhold Tennis Center | Santa Barbara, Calif.

LAST TIME OUT

The Gauchos remain undefeated in conference play with a 2-0 performance last week against CSUN and UC San Diego. Following a 5-2 win at CSUN, the Gauchos returned home, sweeping UC San Diego 7-0. Following a nearly perfect performance in doubles, five Gauchos won in straight sets in singles with Tyra Richardson clinching the winning point.

HISTORY

The Gauchos look to avenge their 5-2 loss to the Waves just a month ago bringing their record to 7-35 all-time when facing Pepperdine. The 26th-ranked team boasts two ranked singles players and one ranked doubles pairing.

The Gauchos are 13-16 all-time against UC Irvine, winning the last 11 matchups. Last season, the Blue and Gold came away with sweeps of the Anteaters in both the regular season and the first round of The Big West Championships.

Santa Barbara will look to continue their undefeated all-time record against the Titans on Sunday. The Gauchos defeated Fullerton 4-3 last season on the road.

FALL RECAP

The Gauchos opened the fall tournament season at the Battle in the Bay where Amelia Honer and Ali Benedetto had a strong start in both doubles and singles. Honer took four straight wins, all in straight sets, to come away with the singles consolation championship title.

The fall season continued at the ITA All-American Championships where Amelia Honer and Marie Weissheim brought home the doubles consolation championship title but still remained in search of their NCAA qualifying spot.

At the Women of Troy Invite, Benedetto and Weissheim made a doubles championship appearance following wins over BYU and Wisconsin. The same weekend, Gauchos found success in Long Beach at the Beach Fall Tennis Tournament. Raphaelle Leroux, in her first tournament for Santa Barbara, won five straight matches to appear in the championship final. The freshman won in straight sets in her first two matches as a Gaucho. Lily Pradkin and Emma Tutoveanu won their first collegiate matches in singles as well. Tyra Richardson kicked off her senior season with three wins on the weekend, all in straight sets.

At the ITA Southwest Regional Championship in San Diego, Honer won in straight sets for six consecutive singles matches to reach the championship where she defeated the 8th ranked player nationally and clinched her spot at Waco.

At the Dennis Rizza Classic, five Gauchos went 2-0 on the weekend in singles. During Friday's singles matches, Marie Weissheim, Raphaelle Leroux and Tyra Richardson each took straight set victories over their opponents from LMU. Leroux and Weissheim took the first Gauchos doubles victory. Pacot and Leroux also took their first win as a pair over Saint Mary's.

At the ITA West Sectional Championships, the last opportunity for the top three doubles to clinch a NCAA Championship spot, Honer and Weissheim took two straight set wins to reach the semifinals. Despite the loss in the semifinal round, they found success in the 3rd place match with a 15-13 win in the tiebreak to qualify as a doubles pair for the NCAA Championships.

ABOUT THE GAUCHOS

Roster | Schedule

Overall Record: 10-8

Big West: 6-0

Home: 4-1

Away: 5-5

Neutral: 1-2

Against Ranked Opponents: 3-4

ITA Ranking: 42nd

Streak: W6

ABOUT THE WAVES

Roster | Schedule

Overall Record: 9-9

Big West: 4-0

Home: 4-0

Away: 5-7

Neutral: 0-2

Against Ranked Opponents: 3-8

ITA Ranking: 26th

Streak: W1

ABOUT THE ANTEATERS

Roster | Schedule

Overall Record: 10-8

Big West: 1-4

Home: 5-5

Away: 5-3

Neutral: 0-0

Against Ranked Opponents: 0-1

ITA Ranking: N/A

Streak: L1

ABOUT THE TITANS

Roster | Schedule

Overall Record: 9-7

Big West: 3-3

Home: 6-3

Away: 3-4

Neutral: 0-0

Against Ranked Opponents: 0-1

ITA Ranking: N/A

Streak: W1

UP NEXT

The Gauchos wrap up the regular season against No. 52 Cal Poly on Saturday, April 19 at 11 a.m. at the Arnhold Tennis Center.

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