Event:Big West Conference Championships
Teams:UC Davisvs.CalState Northridge; TBA; TBA
Records:Aggies,11-11 (3-5); Matadors,13-7 (6-2)
Where:IndianWellsTennisGarden – Indian Wells,Calif.
When:Today at3p.m.; TBA; TBA
Who to watch:JuniorRandi Schuler will see a familiar face when she steps onto the court this afternoon.
TheDavis nativeis scheduled to meet Matadorsjunior VictoriaBrymer in No.1singles.When the two last competed against one another on Feb.24,Schulerwon in straight sets,6-4,6-2.
Battlingan ankle injury thatlimited her in practice this week,Schuler will look for similar results this afternoon.
Did you know? Because of the transition from Division II to Division I,UC Davis hasn’ttouched postseasonplay since2003.Before then,it reached theNCAA Championships22consecutive seasons.
Preview:UC Davis had two goalsenteringthis season:win12matches and earn four victories againstBig West opponents.
Withthree of their11wins this seasoncoming in conference action,the Aggiesare oneBig Westvictory away from achieving both oftheir preseason goals.
Today is their chance.
Sixth-seeded UC Davis travels to Indian Wells to compete against third-seeded Cal State Northridge today in the first round of the Big West Championships.
“We’re really excited to be a part of it finally,” saidhead coach Bill Maze. “It’s inIndian Wellswhere they play the pro tournament,and our team could not be more excited about it.“
When the Aggies lastmet the Matadors,they fell4-2in Gold River,Calif.Alongside Schuler,sophomore Herzyl Legaspi picked up the team’s other win at No.4singles,defeating junior Canna Furuta,6-4,6-4.
Cal State Northridge switched its No.3and No.4singles players for today’s match,so Legaspi will face junior Sandra Kukla this time around.
The Matadors have won their last four matches,including a recent7-0victory overCal State Bakersfield.The Aggies,meanwhile,have dropped four straight against loaded competition,including No.4Stanford and No.70Nevada.
“I’m excited about that match-up,” Maze said.“They’re the favorites,but I’m looking forward to it.“
Nobody,however,is looking forward to the heat.According to weather.com,the temperature will be95degrees Fahrenheit at the match’s start time.
“We’re hydrating right now,” Maze said. “It’s the same for everybody,but it’s just another factor.“
