Strong performances in doubles and singles play secured the win for Davis
By COLINA HARVEY — sports@theaggie.org
On April 17, the UC Davis women’s tennis team took on the University of Idaho Vandals on their home court. As it was their last home game of the season, they honored three fourth-year team members who will not be returning the following season.
The three honorees were Claire Galerkin, a fourth-year managerial economics major, Daisy Maunupau, a fourth-year cognitive science major, and Solia Valentine, a Master of Business Administration graduate student.
Before the game kicked off, the team took time to honor the fourth-years with speeches and flowers. Each fourth-year gave a speech, as well as Head Coach Sara Jackson and Assistant Coach Matthew Foster-Estwick. The heartfelt speeches were a testament to the tight-knit nature of the team, making the final home match of the season even more significant.
The match started with three simultaneous doubles matches. On court one, Co-Captain Maunupau partnered with Mika Ikemori, a second-year psychology major. Together, the duo competed against Idaho’s Valentina Rodas and Naomi Schraeder.
Maunupau and Ikemori dominated the match, with Maunupau hitting an ace to win the first game. They only allowed Idaho to win one game before reaching six games and winning the set.
On court two, Valentine teamed up with Polina Marakhtanova, a first-year cognitive science major, to face Idaho’s Ida Johannson and Lena Beckx. They also made quick work of Idaho, conceding only two games and clinching the doubles point for the Aggies.
Galerkin and Kaia Wolfe, a third-year aerospace science and engineering and mechanical engineering double major, competed against Idaho’s Diana Khaydarshina and Hanna Koprowska on court three. They also prevailed against their opponents, completing the Aggies’ sweep in doubles play.
UC Davis had the advantage going into singles play, but the match was far from over, with six points up for grabs in the singles matches.
Ikemori, Maunupau, Marakhtanova and Valentine competed in singles play along with Penelope Wong, a first-year environmental engineering major, and Maya Youssef, a third-year political science major.
The first to finish was Marakhtanova, who swiftly took down her opponent, Schraeder, in two sets, giving up only two games total.
Next to finish was Valentine, who decisively defeated her opponent, Koprowska, in the first set, winning 6-1. In the second set, Koprowska fought back, sending the set to a deuce. Valentine persevered and won the second set, securing the match for the Aggies.
Youssef ultimately clinched the match for the Aggies when she defeated Rodas in three sets, taking the score to 4-0.
Maunupau and Wong struggled in their matches, with Maunupau losing in three sets and Wong losing in two sets. Fortunately, their teammates had already sealed the deal. Last to finish was Ikemori, who managed to win her match after being bested in the second set.
Ultimately, the Aggies prevailed, ending the match with a score of 5-2.
The Aggies will head to the Big West Championship in San Diego from April 24 to 27. The Aggies struggled in conference play this season with a record of 3-6. As the eighth seed of 10 teams in the Big West Women’s Tennis Championship, the Aggies will have a chance to prove themselves to their conference.
They will take on the fifth-seeded UC San Diego in the first round of the weekend-long tournament. Early in the season, they fell to UCSD in a close 3-4 match. While they took the doubles point, they were only able to win two of their singles matches. The rematch provides an opportunity for UC Davis to go against UCSD and have a favorable outcome in their upcoming games.
Written by: (Colina Harvey) — sports@theaggie.org
