The Cal Poly women’s tennis team defeated UC Riverside 7-0 on Apr. 15 at the Ronca Tennis Center, recording five straight-set singles victories to secure the shutout.
The win brings Cal Poly (12-8, 7-1 Big West) closer to a key matchup against rival UC Santa Barbara, with the top seed for next week’s Big West Championships at stake. The Mustangs’ strong performance ensures they have already secured a top two seed and a double bye into the tournament semifinals.
Cal Poly started by winning all doubles matches. Juniors Candela Aparisi and Natalie Lynch moved up to No. 1 doubles and won their match, while senior Kennedy Buntrock teamed with freshman Tia Bonita Jakupovic-Kljako at No. 2 for their first time together this spring, also winning decisively. Sisters Sarah and Jessica MacCallum played at No. 3 doubles.
In singles play, Lynch earned the first victory of the day at No. 5 singles, followed by senior Alexandra Ozerets who recorded her program-leading 56th career dual singles win at No. 4. Jessica MacCallum clinched the overall dual with her win at No. 2 singles before Sarah MacCallum added another point from court six and Buntrock finished off her opponent on court one.
Aparisi was involved in the only three-set match of the day but prevailed for her sixth consecutive singles victory, improving her season record to 12-7 overall and maintaining a strong showing in conference play.
Cal Poly has now improved its all-time record against UC Riverside to 27-0. The Mustangs will face UC Santa Barbara on Saturday; a win would secure them at least a share of the Big West regular season title ahead of championship play in San Diego from April 22-25.
