Who: UC Davis vs. No. 50 Sacramento State
Records: Aggies, 11-10; Hornets, 15-8
Where: Marya Welch Tennis Center
When: Friday at 2 p.m.
Who to watch: All eyes will be on freshman Dahra Zamudio in the Aggies‘ final regular season contest of the year.
The Orange, Calif. native has been impressive this season for UC Davis, putting together a potential Big West Freshman of the Year season. She’s 6-1 at the No. 2 singles position and 25-19 overall.
Did you know? The Aggies have lost six straight matches to the Hornets dating back to 2003. Four of those losses were 7-0 sweeps by Sacramento State.
Preview: This year’s Causeway Cup matchup will be a difficult one for UC Davis, as it faces one of the best teams its seen all season.
The Hornets wrapped up their Big Sky Conference schedule by winning the league’s title for the eighth straight year. They went an undefeated 8-0 in Big Sky action.
Sacramento State is led by No. 1 singles player Katrina Zheltova. The junior from Belarus is currently ranked No. 110 in the world.
Backing up Zheltova is freshman standout Maria Meliuk. Also a Belarus native, Meliuk holds the best record on the Hornets at 15-5 overall, including a 4-0 record at the No. 1 singles position. She’s 7-4 at No. 2 and 4-1 at No. 3.
If the Aggies are to have a chance on Friday, they’ll need a big day from Zamudio. They’ll also need seniors Randi Schuler and Jessica Harris to step up in their final regular season home contests.
Schuler has struggled as of late at the No. 1 singles position, losing three consecutive matches.
Harris, meanwhile, has been on a tear. The Mayfield High School graduate has posted an 8-2 record since Feb. 20. She’s 18-12 overall this season.
– Matt Miller
