Teams: UC Davis vs. UC Irvine; vs. San Jose State
Records: Aggies 9-11 (4-2), Tigers 4-13 (1-5), Titans 6-9 (0-4)
Where: Hal Nelson Tennis Courts — Stockton, Calif.; Marya Welch Tennis Center
When: Thursday at 2 p.m.; Saturday at 11 a.m.
Who to Watch: Dahra Zamudio is the only senior in the UC Davis women’s tennis program’s starting lineup. She started the year playing in the No. 1 singles position, but switched to No. 2, where she holds a 12-5 record.
Zamudio has been a steady force in the singles lineup her entire career, but her doubles play has also been a strong contributor to the Aggies’ success.
She and sophomore Nicole Koehly have teamed up to win their last five matches, and are an impressive 7-2 at the No. 3 doubles spot.
Did you know? After a shift in doubles pairings, UC Davis hopes its struggles in doubles are in the past.
The Aggies have won the doubles point just six times this season, but two of those victories came in their last two matchups.
UC Davis is a perfect 6-0 when winning the doubles point, but is 3-11 when it does not.
Preview: After winning their two contests this weekend, the Aggies are in a good position entering the last two matches of the season. UC Davis has put together two neat winning streaks in the past couple weeks, and has won four of its last five matches.
“UC Irvine is second in conference and so the win gives us a chance to be considered for the second spot, depending on how this week’s matches play out,” said Coach Bill Maze.
The Aggies will face off with University of the Pacific in a match that was postponed from March. The Tigers are currently seventh in conference with a 1-5 record. The Aggies downed Pacific last year by a 5-2 match score and should like their chances, as all six of UC Davis’ starting lineup has returned this season.
Yet, Maze knows not to overlook the match, despite the Aggies’ recent success.
“I don’t want to jump ahead too far because Pacific is a very good team and we have to win both matches this week,” he said. “This weekend’s wins should give them confidence and they’re peaking at the right time.”
UC Davis will then play Cal State Fullerton for a Picnic Day matchup. The Titans are tied for last place in the Big West Conference with UC Riverside. The festivities of Picnic Day may provide distractions, but Maze is excited to play the last home match of the season on Saturday.
“We’ve played such a tough schedule we haven’t really had as many wins this year, so we’re getting confidence from winning,” Maze said. “The goal is to have that four-match winning streak going into the conference tournament.”
— MATTHEW YUEN
