The UC Davis Aggies gained an early 1-0 lead against the San Jose State Spartans by winning two straight doubles matches on April 19. However, UC Davis was not able to keep up the torrid pace and the Spartans won four straight singles matches, defeating UC Davis 4-3 in their last game of the regular season.
The game started tough for the Aggies. They lost in their first doubles, 8-1, but soon they bounced back and took the other two doubles matches. This gave them a 1-0 lead in team points. In the last doubles, seniors Megan Heneghan and Melissa Kobayakawa defeated their counterparts, 8-6. This match was the last regular season doubles match for their college careers.
In singles matches, San Jose State’s Julianna Bacelar defeated senior Nicole Koehly in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1, and the Spartans tied the team points at 1-1. Freshman Kamila Kecki helped the Aggies regain their lead by beating her opponent in two sets, 6-2, 6-4, putting UC Davis up to 2-1 lead in team points.
However, the Aggies did not continue their good form in the next singles matches. Kobayakawa lost to San Jose State’s Sabastiani Leon Chao in a 6-3, 6-1 match. After losing the first set 6-1, junior Layla Sanders battled back, topping Gaelle Rey from the Spartans, 5-7, in the second set. But Sanders fell short to in the third set, 6-0, for the final match point.
With a 3-2 lead in team points, the Spartans played even better. By winning the match against sophomore Tiffany Pham, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), Jessica Willet helped the Spartans gain a 4-2 lead and earned the official decision. Although she fell short in the second set of the match, Heneghan bounced back and won the last match of the day for UC Davis. The final score in team points saw the Spartans come away with a 4-3 victory.
Although the Aggies lost the game, they enter next week’s Big West tournament with a 12-9 overall record and 4-3 record in conference play. The Spartans end their season with an 11-13 record on the season.
The women’s tennis team finished its regular season with two consecutive losses, but UC Davis’ head coach Bill Maze trusts his team to rebound.
“I think we have a chance to make it to the end,” coach Maze said.
On April 24, UC Davis will have its first game of the tournament in Indian Wells, Calif. Since there is one league match that remains, the Aggies’ opponent in the tournament is still unknown.
JANET ZENG can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
Courtesy photo.
