SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Tennis team pushed No. 15 Cal to the brink in a dramatic, back-and-forth battle that featured five tiebreak sets and multiple three-set thrillers, as the Gauchos fought until the final points in one of their most tightly contested matches of the season.

THE MATCH
Final: #40 UC Santa Barbara 3, #15 Cal 4
Records: #40 UC Santa Barbara (8-8), #15 Cal (6-2)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Seeing how evenly matched the two teams were became evident during doubles play, though Cal gained the early advantage by securing the doubles point with wins on courts one and two. The No. 76 ranked pair of Johanne Svendsen and Mao Mushika defeated Shanelle Iaconi and Isabella Wong 6-4 at the top position, followed by Berta Passola Folch and Sophie Hernandez, who outlasted Lily Pradkin and My-Anh Holmes in a tightly contested 7-6 (7-4) match on court two. UC Santa Barbara responded with a strong performance on court three, where Ekua Youri and Caroline Beard earned a 6-2 victory over Naomi Xu and Mille Johanna Moerk.

In singles action, Cal extended its advantage with a straight-sets victory on court one, where No. 55 Svendsen defeated Shachf Liebermann 6-1, 6-1. UC Santa Barbara answered with two strong performances to keep the contest within reach, starting with Pradkin's 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) win over No. 92 Xu at the No. 5 spot. Raphaelle Leroux followed with a hard-fought three-set victory on court six, defeating Anya Murthy 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 to give the Gauchos valuable momentum.

Cal answered back on court two, where No. 11 Passola Folch battled past Youri in a three-set contest, 7-6 (7-2), 4-6, 6-1. Emma Tutoveanu delivered one of the day's most resilient performances for the Gauchos at No. 4, bouncing back after dropping the first set to defeat Moerk 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 to tie it up.

The final match to conclude came down to court three, where No. 57 Mushika narrowly outlasted Wong in a marathon three-set showdown, 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, to seal the overall result.

RESULTS
Doubles
1. #76 Johanne Svendsen/Mao Mushika (CAL) def. Shanelle Iaconi/Isabella Wong (UCSB) 6-4
2. Berta Passola Folch/Sophie Hernandez (CAL) def. Lily Pradkin/My-Anh Holmes (UCSB) 7-6 (7-4)
3. Ekua Youri/Caroline Beard (UCSB) def. Naomi Xu/Mille Johanna Moerk (CAL) 6-2

Order of finish: 3, 1, 2

Singles
1. #55 Johanne Svendsen (CAL) def. Shachf Liebermann (UCSB) 6-1, 6-1
2. #11 Berta Passola Folch (CAL) def. Ekua Youri (UCSB) 7-6 (7-2), 4-6, 6-1
3. #57 Mao Mushika (CAL) def. Isabella Wong (UCSB) 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5
4. Emma Tutoveanu (UCSB) def. Mille Johanna Moerk (CAL) 3-6, 7-6(7-5), 6-4
5. Lily Pradkin (UCSB) def. #92 Naomi Xu (CAL) 6-2, 7-6 (7-4)
6. Raphaelle Leroux (UCSB) def. Anya Murthy (CAL) 7-5, 3-6, 6-2

Order of finish: 1, 5, 6, 2, 4, 3

UP NEXT
The Gauchos now enter a two-and-a-half-week break before opening Big West play, beginning with a matchup against No. 62 Long Beach State on April 1.