The Aggies win 4-0 against the University of the Pacific and Jessup University
By DANIELLE WIRNOWSKI — sports@theaggie.org
On Jan. 24, UC Davis played against the University of the Pacific and Jessup University for their first home games of the spring season. In an exceptional start to 2026, the Aggies beat the University of the Pacific 4-0 and Jessup University 7-0.
The Aggies went up against the University of the Pacific at 11 a.m., followed by matches against Jessup University at 3 p.m. There were a total of 18 matches across the day, split into nine matches per school; these consisted of six singles matches and three doubles matches.
UC Davis started the morning off by securing wins for doubles teams one and two. Doubles team one, consisting of Polina Marakhtanova, a second-year cognitive science major, and Mika Ikemori, a third-year psychology major, won their set with a score of 6-1.
“I just enjoy the sport, but also, my team just inspires me to do well,” Ikemori said. “I love my teammates, and I know they always have my back, win or lose, so I wanna win for them, not just myself. So, whenever I play, I kind of have them not just side-by-side, but always in the back of my mind.”
Doubles team two, consisting of Maya Youssef, a fourth-year political science major, and Isabella Bringas, a second-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major, won their set with a score of 6-2.
Ikemori and Youssef went on to win their singles matches, with scores of 6-1 in the first set and 6-4 in the second set, and 6-0 in the first and 6-0 in the second set, respectively.
Three of the six doubles matches went unfinished by the Aggies, and with only one loss in the singles matches, the Aggies came away with a victory of 4-0.
“The team was really excited, [and] the coaches were also really excited,” Ikemori said. “Especially, I think the fact that [the score] was 4-0 and 7-0 [showed that] we worked really hard for it, and we’re just so very happy.”
The Aggies brought the same fighting attitude into the match against Jessup, with UC Davis sweeping all three doubles matches. However, one victory was by default, as Jessup did not provide a third doubles team.
Kaia Wolfe, a fourth-year aerospace and mechanical engineering major, and Vivian Gallaway, a first-year business major, won their doubles match with a score of 6-0. Penelope Wong, a second-year environmental engineering major and Sophia Sappa, a third-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major, followed suit, with the same score.
UC Davis proceeded to win all six of the singles matches. Four of the singles matches saw a score of 6-0 in the first match and 6-1 in the second match. One singles match saw the inverse score, with 6-1 in the first match and 6-0 in the second match.
These victories allowed the Aggies to come away with an overall score of 7-0 against Jessup University. With both wins for the Aggies, it sets up their record for the 2025-2026 seasonal 2-3.
“The team dynamic this year is so fun,” Ikemori said. “We’re a very open and supportive team. We push each other, and we have a really good atmosphere, especially during matches.”
The Aggies will host Washington State University on Feb. 7 at 11 a.m. for another home meet.
Written by: Danielle Wirnowski— sports@theaggie.org
