Gauchos rally past Cal Poly to win Big West women’s tennis championship

SAN DIEGO, Calif.(KEYT) - The No. 1-seeded UC Santa Barbara Women's Tennis team battled to a thrilling 4-3 victory over rival Cal Poly Saturday afternoon at the Barnes Tennis Center, capturing the Big West Championship after a tightly contested match that came down to the final court.

THE MATCH
Final: #50 UC Santa Barbara 4, Cal Poly 3
Records: #50 UC Santa Barbara (17-8, 9-0 Big West), Cal Poly (13-10, 7-2 Big West)

HOW IT HAPPENED
UC Santa Barbara opened the match by securing the doubles point in competitive fashion. Emma Tutoveanu and My-Anh Holmes set the tone with a dominant 6-1 win on court three, before Ekua Youri and Caroline Beard followed with a 6-4 victory at the top spot to clinch the early 1-0 advantage.

Singles play proved to be a back-and-forth battle, with momentum shifting throughout the lineup. Youri struck first on court one, delivering a composed 6-3, 6-1 victory to extend the Gauchos' lead to 2-0. Cal Poly responded on court two, as Isabella Wong fell 6-4, 6-1 to cut the lead to 2-1.

Tutoveanu was next to finish on court three, rising in a crucial moment with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 win to push UC Santa Barbara ahead 3-1 and within one point of the title.

The Mustangs refused to go away, answering with back-to-back wins on courts four and five. Lily Pradkin battled but fell in a tight two-set match, and Holmes dropped a three-set battle, leveling the overall score at 3-3 and shifting all attention to the final court.

With the championship on the line, everything came down to Raphaelle Leroux on court six. After dropping the first set, Leroux showed resilience and composure, taking control with a 6-2, 6-1 finish. Surrounded by teammates, with the men's team, who had just won the Big West Championship earlier lined along the fence cheering her on, Leroux fed off the energy and delivered the clinching point to secure the Big West Championship for the Gauchos.

RESULTS
Doubles

1. Ekua Youri/Caroline Beard (UCSB) def. Natalie Lynch/Candela Aparisi (CP) 6-4
2. Jessica MacCallum/Sarah MacCallum (CP) def. Lily Pradkin/Shanelle Iaconi (UCSB) 6-3
3. Emma Tutoveanu/My-Anh Holmes (UCSB) def. Kennedy Buntrock/Bonita Jakupovic-Kl (CP) 6-1

Order of finish: 3, 2, 1

Singles

1. Ekua Youri (UCSB) def. Kennedy Buntrock (CP) 6-3, 6-1
2. Jessica MacCallum (CP) def. Isabella Wong (UCSB) 6-4, 6-1
3. Emma Tutoveanu (UCSB) def. Candela Aparisi (CP) 6-4, 2-6, 6-1
4. Alexandra Ozerets (CP) def. Lily Pradkin (UCSB) 6-3, 7-6 (7-1)
5. Natalie Lynch (CP) def. My-Anh Holmes (UCSB) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
6. Raphaelle Leroux (UCSB) def. Sarah MacCallum (CP) 4-6, 6-2, 6-1

Order of finish: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

UP NEXT
By capturing the Big West Championship, UC Santa Barbara secures an automatic berth in the NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championship. The Gauchos will await their postseason placement, including opponent and site, during the NCAA Selection Show.

(Article courtesy UCSB Athletics)