SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – After a two-week break, the UC Santa Barbara Women's Tennis team resumes its challenging homestand with Big West opponents No. 64 Long Beach State on Apr. 1 at 12 p.m. and its final Super Six match against No. 73 Hawai'i on Apr. 4 at 10:30 a.m.

LAST TIME OUT
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.

Cal took the early lead by securing the doubles point with wins on courts one and two, while UC Santa Barbara picked up a 6-2 victory on court three from Ekua Youri and Caroline Beard. The Gauchos stayed competitive in singles with wins from Lily Pradkin, Raphaelle Leroux, and Emma Tutoveanu, but the match was decided on court three where No. 57 Mao Mushika outlasted Isabella Wong 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5 to clinch the result for Cal.

ABOUT THE BEACH
No. 64 Long Beach State is 11-7 overall and sits near the top of the Big West standings with a 4-1 conference record. The Beach most recently earned a 4-3 victory over Cal State Fullerton, which had entered the match undefeated in conference play at 5-0.

Cecilia Costa leads Long Beach State in singles with a 12-6 record. She was recently named Big West Player of the Week for the second time this season after clinching the match in the Beach's 4-2 comeback win over No. 60 Dartmouth at the Rhodes Tennis Center. In doubles, Costa and partner Paulina Franco Martinessi have led the way with a dominant 11-3 record.

ABOUT THE RAINBOW WAHINE
The Blue and Gold will continue conference play against No. 73 Hawai'i. The Rainbow Wahine enter the week at 5-5 overall and 2-1 in Big West action, with a matchup against Cal Poly, who currently sits atop of the conference, scheduled before they face the Gauchos. Their most recent result was a narrow 4-3 loss to UC Irvine.

UH's Hannah Galindo leads the Rainbow Wahine in singles with an 8-2 record, primarily competing at the No. 5 position. Close behind is senior Allaire Berl, who holds a 5-4 overall record while mainly playing at No. 6. At the top of the lineup, freshman Grete Gull was named Big West Player of the Week on March 4 after helping lead Hawai'i to a 5-2 win over No. 51 Long Beach State.