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Long Beach State University Athletics
LBSU Hosts Conference Rival UC Irvine Saturday
4/9/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 9, 2014
First Serve: The 53rd-ranked Long Beach State women's tennis team will play a pivotal match Saturday when it hosts No. 57 UC Irvine in battle of conference unbeatens. Doubles play is set to begin at 11 a.m. at the Rhodes Tennis Center.
What's At Stake: Beach Tennis and UCI are currently tied for first place in the Big West standings. The two squads each boast perfect 6-0 conference records with LBSU taking the edge in the overall records. The winner of Saturday's contest will take sole possession of the top spot in the conference while the loser drops to No. 2 with Hawai'i (currently in second) being pushed down to the No. 3 spot.
Familiar Opponents: The 49ers and Anteaters know each other well as the two squads have met twice every season since 2008. In that span, LBSU has won 10 of the 12 times. Beach Tennis has currently been to the finals of the Big West Tournament 13 straight times and of those apperances, they have faced UC Irvine nine times, including each of the last six years.
Last Time Out: The last time these two squads faced each other was in Indian Wells, Calif. in the finals of the 2013 Big West Tournament. After dropping a tough regular season match-up, the 49ers came out determined to see a different outcome. LBSU took the pivotal doubles point and didn't look back as Sarah Cantlay, Anna Jeczmionka and Karolina Rozenberg all won their singles matches to seal the win. It was the third straight title for LBSU and ninth in the last ten years.
Scouting the Anteaters: UCI comes into Saturday's match with a 14-5 overall record and an unblemished 6-0 record in conference play. The Anteaters are currently riding an 11-match winning streak, last losing at LMU on Feb. 19. Irvine's recent play has propelled them up the the rankings as it claimed the No. 57 spot on this week's list. Saturday's road contest marks the second to last regular season match for UCI, who will host UC Riverside to close out the season next week. Beach Tennis trails the Anteaters 24-31 in the overall series record, however the 49ers prevailed in the last meeting a season ago as they won 4-1 to claim the Big West Tournament title.
Up Next: Long Beach State will close out the regular season on the road next week as it travels to UC Riverside on Friday for a 1 p.m. contest. The 49ers are currently 6-0 on the road this season and will look to close out conference play on a strong note. The following week, Beach Tennis makes a return to Indian Wells Tennis Garden for the Big West Tournament with play beginning on April 24.
Players Mentioned
