MORAGA, Calif. – After their match at the beginning of March was canceled due to rain, Saint Mary's Women's Tennis will face off against the UC Davis Aggies on Thursday April 6 before playing host to the Pacific Tigers on Saturday April 8.
 
THE DETAILS
UC Davis (6-10) at Saint Mary's (5-8)
Friday, April 6 at 12 PM
Korth Tennis Courts – Moraga, Calif.
 
Pacific Tigers (6-6) at Saint Mary's (5-8) 
Saturday, April 8 at 11 AM
Korth Tennis Courts – Moraga, Calif.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Gaels are coming off a tough weekend of losses to LMU and Pepperdine. The Lions came into their matchup against SMC as the #62 team in the country, and the Gaels nearly pulled off the comeback. 
 
After a slow start to doubles, the Gaels rebounded in singles, but ultimately their comeback came up just short as the Lions held on to win 4-3.
 
The SMC players brought the intensity to singles, one of them being Stefanie Silva. Silva was lights out from the first serve as she beat the Lions Kim-Michaela Zahraj 6-4, 6-1. 
 
Freshman Tian Yu Dong had a great performance in the #5 match, coming back from a set down to claim victory over Isabella Tcherkes-Zade. After Tcherkes-Zade took the first set 6-4, Dong battled back to win the second 7-5, forcing a third set tiebreak. The momentum was on home court, as Dong battled to win the tiebreak 10-4. 
 
Lene Mari Hovda also won her match in three set fashion, as she faced off against Wiktoria Rutkowska. After losing the first set 6-2, the comeback was on, as Hovda won the second set 6-4 to force a third set tiebreak. The tiebreak was intense, as each player battled hard for each point. In the end, Hovda came out on top to win the third set 10-7. 
 
Jordan Harris, Olivia Rook, and Iman Khan all battled hard as well, but were unable to swing the momentum in their direction. 
 
Pepperdine proved a tricker opponent for the Gaels, as the #3 ranked team in the country made life difficult for SMC. 
 
The Waves brought the heat to the Gaels from the first serve, as SMC struggled to get going against one of the strongest teams in the country. 
Just like the doubles matches, the Gaels were able to build some early momentum, but Pepperdine wasn't keen on a comeback, as the visitors blanked SMC to win the matchup 4-0.
 
The best performances came from two of the most inexperienced Gaels, freshmen Iman Khan and Tian Yu Dong. Despite having only joined the team in January, both Khan and Dong played great singles tennis. Although both players would lose their opening sets 7-5, being able to hang with some of the best tennis players in the country is certainly a positive for the Gaels going forward. 
 
Despite the overall loss, there are certainly positives for the Gaels as the came up against one of the premier tennis teams in the NCAA. SMC will look to build momentum as matches continue to come thick and fast. 
 
ABOUT UC DAVIS
The Aggies come to town this week having started their season 6-10. Head coach Bill Maze is in his 28^thseason in charge of the program, having amassed 307 career victories entering the 2022-23 season. After starting the season with four straight defeats, the Aggies rebounded well, winning five of their last eight matchups. Davis have struggled as of recent however, posting losses in their past three matchups entering Thursday. Both the Gaels and Aggies will be desperately looking to get back into the win column when the two teams collide tomorrow in Moraga. 
 
ABOUT PACIFIC 
The Tigers head to Moraga this weekend having started the season at an even 6-6. UOP Head coach Mike Erwin has been at the helm of the program since June 2018, having steadily improved the program since his hire. Last season was Erwin's best since joining, leading the Tigers to a solid 10-10 overall record. The Tigers and Gaels shared similar results as of recent, with both programs falling victim to LMU and Pepperdine. The Tigers will take on Cal Poly on Friday before heading to the Bay Area the following day to take on SMC.