Women's Tennis Heads to No. 33 UCSB Looking to Earn Top Seed in Big West Championship

Saturday, April 19

Santa Barbara, CA / Arnhold Tennis Center

11 A.M.

UC Santa Barbara

Photo by: Joe Kelly

Women's Tennis Heads to No. 33 UCSB Looking to Earn Top Seed in Big West Championship

4/18/2025 6:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — A share of the Big West regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament will be up for grabs when the Cal Poly women's tennis team visits Blue-Green rival UC Santa Barbara on Saturday to wrap up regular season play.

With one match remaining in the season, the 33rd-ranked Gauchos and 51st-ranked Mustangs have both already clinched the top two seeds in the conference tournament and double byes to the semifinal round of the Big West Championship. UCSB is a perfect 8-0 in Big West play and has already clinched a share of the Big West regular season title, while Cal Poly sits at 7-1 in conference play with its lone loss coming at Long Beach State 5-2 on March 8.

Saturday's showdown at the Arnhold Tennis Center will start at 11 a.m.

EYING HISTORY: On Saturday, Cal Poly is seeking to earn a share of the Big West regular season title for the first time since 2011 and just the second time in program history. Last year, the Mustangs charged through the conference tournament as the No. 5 seed to capture their second Big West Championship in program history and first since 2003. The triumph allowed Cal Poly to punch its ticket to the NCAA Championships for the third time in school history and first time since 2011.

RANKINGS UPDATE: Cal Poly checked in at No. 51 in the latest ITA team rankings marking the ninth straight week the Mustangs have been nationally ranked. The Mustangs are fresh off a pair of 6-1 home victories over Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine this past weekend that allowed the team to improve to an impressive 18-3 on the season, their second most wins in a season in the program's Division I history and the most since going 20-7 in 2003. The Mustangs have also won 15 out of their last 16 matches and nine straight heading into Saturday's matchup.

SINGLES SUPREMACY: The Mustangs have been powered by stellar singles play all season long with five players currently owning 14 or more dual singles victories this year. Freshman Jessica MacCallum leads the pack with a resounding 17-3 record, tied for the seventh most wins in a season in Division I program history. She has won eight straight matches, 17 out of her last 18 and is 15-1 at the No. 5 spot. Senior Peyton Dunkle is 15-2 this season and 14-2 at No. 2, sophomore Natalie Lynch is 15-4 and 12-3 at No. 6, junior Alexandra Ozerets is 15-5 and 11-3 at No. 4 and senior Romane Mosse is 14-6 and 9-3 at No. 3. Cal Poly has a 75.6 percent winning percentage (90-29) as a team in dual singles matches this season.

RECORD BREAKER: On Senior Day and in her final home match, Dunkle made history in last Sunday's 6-1 win over UC Irvine, earning her ninth straight singles victory to surpass Carol Erickson for the most career singles victories in Division I program history with her 52nd. The Arroyo Grande native is also just two doubles wins away from tying the school record for career dual doubles victories (54). She has a 52-20 career singles record and a 52-26 career doubles record.

SCOUTING THE GAUCHOS: UCSB is coming off one of its biggest victories of the season and a 3-0 week, defeating No. 26 Pepperdine 4-2 in Malibu on April 10 before earning 6-1 home wins over both UCI and CSUF this past weekend. The Gauchos climbed to No. 33 in the latest national rankings and will also carry a nine-match winning streak into Saturday's showdown with Cal Poly, boasting a 13-8 overall record on the year. UCSB is led by senior Amelia Honer, who is currently the 12th-ranked singles player in the country with a 27-5 overall record on the year and a 14-2 mark in dual play. Honer and teammate Anna-Marie Weissheim are the 25th-ranked doubles pairing in the country. Last year during their regular season matchup in San Luis Obispo, the Mustangs and Gauchos played to a 3-3 tie after a player for UCSB at the No. 5 spot was disqualified for an illegal lineup change, marking the first tie in Cal Poly's program history. Then in the semifinals of the Big West Championship, Cal Poly took down top-seeded and No. 55-ranked UCSB 4-2 to punch its ticket to the conference title match for the fourth consecutive season, where they would claim Big West supremacy.

UP NEXT: Following this weekend's results, Cal Poly will find out who they will face in the semifinals of the Big West Championship on Saturday, April 26, at Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego. The Mustangs only need two victories at the 10-team postseason tournament to secure their second straight Big West title and third overall. More info on the tournament can be found HERE.