SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Tennis team kicked off their three-dual weekend with a convincing victory over Florida State on Friday afternoon.

THE MATCH
Final: UC Santa Barbara 4, Florida State 2
Records: UC Santa Barbara (3-2), Florida State (2-3)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Florida State struck first in doubles, taking courts one and two by identical 6-4 scores to secure the opening point, despite UC Santa Barbara's 6-2 win on court three from Lily Pradkin and Shanelle Iaconi. 

Singles play quickly swung in UC Santa Barbara's favor, as the Gauchos captured three initial courts to respond to FSU's doubles victory. No. 100 Ekua Youri jump-started the comeback at the top of the lineup, overpowering No. 102 Eva Shaw with a decisive 6-3, 6-0 win. Emma Tutoveanu kept the momentum rolling on court four, cruising to a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Kristyna Lavickova, before Isabella Wong delivered another straight-set performance at No. 2, defeating Laura Putz, 6-2, 6-1, to put UCSB in front.

Singles competition began to slow and grew increasingly tense, as the final three courts were tightly contested. Caroline Beard ultimately clinched the dual on court six, showcasing poise under pressure while battling through two hard-fought sets to defeat Cade Cricchio, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5). Beard weathered late pushes in both sets and delivered in the decisive moments of the tiebreak, securing the match-clinching point to seal the Blue and Gold's 4-2 victory.

Florida State earned its lone singles point on court three, where M.B. Deatherage edged Shachf Liebermann in a tightly contested 7-6, 6-4 match. The final match on court five between Katarina Vayser and Tina Li was left unfinished, with Vayser looking to close it out, holding a 5-2 advantage in the third set when play was stopped.

RESULTS
Doubles
1. Laura Putz/Tina Li (FSU) def. My-Anh Holmes/Isabella Wong (UCSB) 6-4
2. Eva Shaw/Kristyna Lavickova (FSU) def. Ekua Youri/Raphaelle Leroux (UCSB) 6-4
3. Lily Pradkin/Shanelle Iaconi (UCSB) def. Cade Cricchio/M.B. Deatherage (FSU) 6-2

Order of finish: 3, 2, 1

Singles
1. #100 Ekua Youri (UCSB) def. #102 Eva Shaw (FSU) 6-3, 6-0
2. Isabella Wong (UCSB) def. Laura Putz (FSU) 6-2, 6-1
3. M.B. Deatherage (FSU) def. Shachf Liebermann (UCSB) 7-6, 6-4
4. Emma Tutoveanu (UCSB) def. Kristyna Lavickova (FSU) 6-1, 6-2
5. Katarina Vayser (UCSB) vs. Tina Li (FSU) 3-6, 6-0, 5-2, unfinished
6. Caroline Beard (UCSB) def. Cade Cricchio (FSU) 7-5, 7-6 (7-5)

Order of finish: 1, 4, 2, 3, 6

UP NEXT
UC Santa Barbara continues a busy stretch with a two-day dual against Arizona on Feb. 6-7, then wraps up the weekend later on Feb. 7 against No. 22 Texas Tech.