Tech opens NCAA play Friday vs. LMU - Texas Tech Red Raiders - TexasTech.com

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BERKELEY – The Texas Tech women's tennis program opens play at its 10th-consecutive NCAA Tournament on Friday when they clash with Loyola Marymount, Friday morning at the L.W. Hellman Tennis Center on the campus of the University of California.

Texas Tech (14-10, 4-5 Big 12) enters the weekend looking to record a victory in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in six seasons.

Opening up NCAA Tournament play in the State of California will be a similar feeling, as the Lady Raiders will play in California for the third consecutive season. Tech played in the City of Los Angeles in both 2019 and 2021. The NCAA Tournament was not contested in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
MATCHUP: No. 34 Texas Tech (14-10) vs. No. 25 LMU (18-3)
DATE: Friday, May 6, 2022
TOURNAMENT: 2022 NCAA Tournament
LOCATION: Berkeley, Calif.
TIME: Noon (CT)/10 a.m. (PT)

INSIDE THE REGIONAL:
Hosted by the Cal, the Berkeley regional features the 11th-ranked Bears, No. 25 LMU, No. 34 Tech and Northern Arizona. Cal and NAU face-off at 1 p.m. (PT) on Friday afternoon with the winner advancing to meet the winner of Tech and LMU.

SCOUTING THE LIONS:
LMU enters the NCAA Tournament at 18-3 overall, LMU enters the weekend at 18-3 overall, after earning the first at-large bid in program history. In the opening round of the WCC Championships, LMU fell to San Diego 4-1. The loss snapped the Lions nine-match winning streak. LMU is currently ranked No. 23 in the country, and features one ranked player in Russian Veronika Mirashnichenko. The Moscow native is 14-1 this season and was ranked No. 74 in last week's ITA rankings. Her lone loss was a three-set setback against Elysia Bolton of UCLA. LMU defeated the Bruins back on Jan. 26 and has four power-five wins this season. Tech and LMU have played a pair of common opponents. The Lions dropped UCSB 4-3 at home back on Feb. 25 and swept Arizona (4-0) at home on Mar. 9.

SCOUTING THE BEARS:
The host school of a regional for the second consecutive season and fourth time since 2015-16, Cal enters the weekend at 16-7 overall and 8-1 in PAC-12 play. The Regular Season Champions of the PAC-12, Cal lost in the Semifinals of the PAC-12 Championships to Arizona State. The Sun Devils were the only team to beat Cal in the regular season as well. A pair of bears find themselves ranked inside the ITA Top-125 led by Haley Giavara who checks in at No. 63. Jessica Alsola is No. 71 in the most up-to-date ITA rankings. Giavara is 10-12 this season on Court One, while Alsoa is 14-7 on the season. Giavara and doubles partner and Valentina Ivanov are No. 31 in the doubles rankings, playing on court one. All three Cal doubles teams are ranked inside the ITA doubles rankings.

SCOUTING THE 'JACKS:
The lone team to earn an automatic bid in the regional, Northern Arizona punched its ticket to the Field of 64 by upsetting top-seeded Weber State to win the 2022 Big Sky Championships. Winners of 10 matches in-a-row, NAU last lost on Mar. 17 against San Francisco. No. 1 player Gina Dittman enters the weekend at 16-2 overall and has won 15 matches in-a-row. The lone other Lumberjack player above .500 is Sofia Markova who is 9-2 on court three and 13-4 overall.

LAST TIME OUT:
Despite winning three singles matches, the sixth-seeded Texas Tech women's tennis program fell 4-3 to No. 3 Oklahoma State at the Big 12 Conference Championships hosted by TCU at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center.

Texas Tech (14-10) received strong singles performances from Margarita Skriabina, Cristina Tiglea and Metka Komac in defeat.

OSU took an early 1-0 lead when they clinched the doubles point by virtue of a 6-4 victory on court three. The Cowgirls (18-4) also won 6-2 on court one.

In singles play, Tech got off to a strong start, as Komac cruised to a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Oona Orpana.

After OSU regained the lead, Tiglea sealed an impressive straight-set victory (7-5, 6-1) on court six. Tiglea overcame a 5-1 deficit in the opening set to win the set 7-5.

After winning the final six games of the opening set, Tiglea won the first four games of the second set and six of the seven total games.

OSU pulled to within one point of victory when they sealed a straight set victory on court three.

Needing a win on court one and court five, Tech received a clutch four and three victory from No. 29 Margarita Skriabina over No. 19 Lisa Marie Rioux.

All eyes turned to court five, where down a set, Kailey Evans took a 5-4 lead with the chance to serve for a third set, but OSU's Ayumi Miyamoto used a pair of late breaks to hold on for a 7-5, 7-5 victory that gave the Cowgirls a 4-3 win.

UP NEXT:
If victorious, Tech will advance to Saturday's Round of 32 match where the winner of Cal and Northern Arizona awaits. First serve from the Hellman Tennis Center is set for 2 p.m. (CT)/Noon (PT).

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