SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (February 25, 2023) — With a close eye on the weather, UC Santa Barbara’s women’s tennis game against Oregon has been postponed by an hour but will go ahead Sunday, with first serve now set for noon at the Arnhold Tennis Center. The Ducks will be the fifth Pac-12 team the Gauchos have faced in just nine double-games so far this season. UCSB and Oregon last met in 2017, and Sunday will be the Ducks’ first trip to Santa Barbara since 2015.
DETAILSMatch 9Sunday February 26 | 12pmUC Santa Barbara (1-7, 1-0 Big West) vs. Oregon (6-3, 0-0 Pac-12)Arnhold Tennis Center | Santa Barbara, California.Live Stream
HISTORYIt has been six seasons since the Ducks and the Gauchos last met, with the most recent double between these two programs taking place in Eugene on February 24, 2017. a 2015 double in Santa Barbara – by the same score, 5-2.
LAST TIME OUTUCSB was in Kansas last weekend for a trio of games at the Jayhawk Tennis Center. The Gauchos faced Texas Tech, Kansas and Arizona over two days, with the highlight of the weekend coming in the final game against the Wildcats, where they snatched the double point from their opponent Power Five, despite playing shorthanded.
ON THE GAUCHOSList | FixturesAggregate Record: 1-7Big West: 1-0Home: 0-1Away: 1-3Neutral: 0-3Against Ranked Opponents: 0-4ITA Ranking: N/AStritura: L7
ON THE DUCKSList | Program | Statistics Overall record: 6-3Pac-12: 0-0Home: 6-1Away: 0-1Neutral: 0-1Against classified opponents: 0-1Italian classification: 55Serie: L1
NEXTUCSB will face their sixth-ranked opponent of the season in their next game, as the Gauchos welcome No. 49 Oklahoma State to the Arnhold Tennis Center on March 3. Oklahoma State ranked #13 this season. The first service is set for 1.30pm on Friday and a live stream of all the action will be available at ucsbgauchos.com.
RISE OF RANKINGThe Intercollegiate Tennis Association released its latest player rankings Feb. 21, and UC Santa Barbara’s Amelia Honer and Kira Reuter are both in attendance. After starting the season unranked, the pair leapt to 13th in the national doubles rankings after defeating two top-15 opponents to build a 3-0 record in their first four games, and remain there in their most recent rankings. Honer also ranks as a top 75 singles player nationally, coming in at No. 67 on the most recent list.
HONER WINS SECOND CONSECUTIVE WEEKLY AWARD (FEBRUARY 1)Amelia Honer earned her second and fourth career Big West Player of the Week awards following her undefeated weekend at the ITA Kickoff Weekend’s Auburn Regional. Against Auburn No. The next day, Honer again faced nationally ranked opponents in singles and doubles against No. 19 Arizona State, but neither game ended.
HONER NAMED BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK (JANUARY 25)Sophomore Amelia Honer was named Big West Player of the Week after going undefeated on top doubles and singles courts in UC Santa Barbara’s doubles games against UC Davis and No. 12 Cal. Honer and teammate Kira Reuter combined to knock down the 15th ranked doubles duo in the country, 6-1, in an impressive performance against the Golden Bears in Berkeley. This is the third time Honer has received the award.
THE GAUCHOS BET ON MORE SILVERAfter a history-making 2022 season, UC Santa Barbara looks to keep rolling in 2023, as the Gauchos pursue their third straight Big West championship and yet another NCAA Tournament appearance. UCSB hasn’t lost a conference game since 2019 and has captured The Big West individual honors in each of the past two seasons. Two-time Big West Player of the Year Shakhnoza Khatamova will play a key role in the Gauchos’ title defense under two-time Big West Head Coach of the Year Simon Thibodeau, as will the Big West’s final two freshmen of the year : Amelia Honer (2022) and Camille Kiss (2021). Honer starts this season as the 49th single player in the country.
AUTUMN SUMMARYThe Gauchos’ fall schedule featured a trio of individual tournaments, culminating with the ITA Southwest Regional Championship in San Diego. In the second round, Amelia Honer did something no Gaucho had ever done before, defeating the best singles player in the country, USC’s Eryn Cayetano. Honer advanced all the way to the quarterfinals of that tournament.
ROSTER BREAKDOWNThis season’s team consists of three seniors, one junior, one sophomore, and a couple of freshmen. Shakhnoza Khatamova is her more experienced and longest serving Gaucho, entering her fifth season of collegiate tennis and her fourth season at UCSB after moving from San Diego State. Fellow seniors Marta Gonzalez-Ballbe and Kira Reuter also came to Santa Barbara via transfers, from NC State and Texas Tech, respectively. The two newcomers are Valentina Khrebtova, from Antwerp, Belgium and Calissa Dellabarca, from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
