Teams: UC Davis, Sonoma State, UC Riverside, Nevada, San Francisco
Where: Marya Welch Tennis Center — Davis, Calif.
When: Friday, Feb. 7; Saturday, Feb. 8
Preview:
Both the men and women’s tennis teams are back in action this weekend, and both play in Davis. The lady Aggies host Nevada on Feb. 7 and then San Francisco on Feb. 8. The men play both Sonoma State and UC Riverside on Feb. 8 as well, with Sonoma in the morning and UC Riverside in the afternoon. The women play San Francisco in-between the two men’s dual matches.
The women’s team is coming off of a four-match road trip that ended with a 2-2 record. After losing to Stanford and beating Pacific on the weekend of Jan. 24, they came back this past weekend and fell 5-2 to San Diego State. Stanford is the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, while San Diego State is ranked No. 48, so the two losses were against quality opponents. These losses will prove to be valuable learning experiences as the team heads to the conference tournament in April.
Against San Diego State, sophomore Tiffany Pham and freshman Kamila Kecki both scored solid three-set victories in singles play. For Kecki, it was her first dual singles victory as an Aggie.
The men’s team is also coming off a double header this past weekend, playing host to San Francisco and Loyola Marymount. Both matches turned out to be tough losses for the Aggies unfortunately, as mother nature impacted the action.
On Feb. 1, the Aggies lost a heartbreaker to San Francisco 4-3, with the match coming down to the final singles contest of the afternoon. Senior Parker Kelley fell in a hard fought third-set tiebreaker, and so too fell the Aggies’ hopes. This loss stung particularly as the Aggies won three of their singles matches, but failed to come away with the critical doubles point that ultimately was the final difference in the match.
The next day the Aggies came back to play Loyola Marymount, but were forced to change the venue from the Marya Welch Tennis center to an indoor facility in Sacramento due to rain. The change in scenery also shifted the Aggies’ fortunes as they lost their early lead and fell 4-2. Senior Kyle Miller and freshman James Wade both scored singles victories in the loss, which dropped the Aggies to an 0-4 record for the year.
Both the men and women’s team will look to make a strong home showing this weekend and get back on the winning foot. The men have an interesting matchup against UC Riverside that is the first conference matchup for the Aggies this season.
— Vic Anderson
