The difference between a win and a loss seems to be the doubles point for the UC Davis women’s tennis team.
Both of this week’s matches were decided by a 5-2 score, and UC Davis experienced both sides of the coin. The Aggies came out on top Wednesday against Cal State Northridge, and then, on Saturday, came up short against Nevada.
“I was worried about fatigue after our Hawaii trip, but it didn’t seem to faze us,” said coach Bill Maze. “The team played really tough and it was nice to get the win at home.”
The Aggies ended the week with a 7-11 record, including a 3-2 mark in Big West Conference play.
Wednesday — UC Davis 5, Cal State Northridge 2
Winning the doubles point was a good start for the Aggies against Big West foe Cal State Northridge.
UC Davis started singles play with a 1-0 advantage for only the fourth time this year and never looked back. Senior Dahra Zamudio and sophomore Nicole Koehly had an up-and-down doubles match that they eventually took by a score of 9-7, which captured the first point for the Aggies.
“When it is that close of a match, the doubles point gets even bigger,” Maze said. “We’ve been struggling and figured it couldn’t hurt to change the doubles pairings to find some teams that click.”
Sophomore Kelly Chui added to the UC Davis lead with a quick 6-1, 6-1 victory. Junior Lauren Curry, who struggled through her first set, cruised through the second to finish the match with a 7-5, 6-0 score.
Junior Ellie Edles also contributed with a straight set victory and senior Dahra Zamudio pulled out the third set to round out the Aggies’ 5-2 victory.
The Matadors had very few answers for the strong UC Davis lineup, putting up wins at the No. 1 and 5 positions.
Saturday — Nevada 5, UC Davis 2
The Aggies fell into a 1-0 hole when they lost the doubles point and were never able to recover. UC Davis played tough in each ensuing singles battles, but were only able to salvage two of the six matches.
Freshman Layla Sanders put the Aggies on the board with a dominating 6-0, 6-0 performance. UC Davis’s other point came from Curry’s hard-fought 6-1, 5-7, 7-5 victory, in which she trailed 4-0 in the third set.
“We had already lost the team match and she was the last one on,” Maze said. “It was really inspiring to see her keep fighting out of that deficit by winning six of the last seven games.”
This was as far as the Aggies got, however, as they dropped two close straight set matches as well as two three-set contests.
“I knew it was going to be rough playing in the higher altitude, but I believe in my team and I thought we could get them,” Maze said. “They were too good this time, but we will bounce back.”
MATT YUEN can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
