IRVINE, Calif. – Long Beach State rallied behind the top of the lineup once again, improving to 4-0 in Big West play with a 5-2 win over UC Irvine. Long Beach State took the top four singles matches to clinch the win after winning the doubles point.

Needing the win for both the polls and a chance at a sixth consecutive Big West title, Long Beach State responded with one of its strongest efforts of the season in dispatching the Anteaters.

 The day started with a great effort in doubles, as Anais Dallara and Rachel Manasse grabbed the first win of the day, an 8-1 victory over the ranked tandem of Courtney Byron and Miranda Young, and Deborah Armstrong and Lisa Sutton clinched the point with an 8-6 win over Fermin/Kwan 8-6.

In singles, Long Beach State’s top four continued their in-conference success. At No. 1 singles, Hannah Grady came out on top of a matchup between ranked opponents, felling Stephanie Hammel 6-4, 6-2. Deborah Armstrong and Rachel Manasse both picked up three-set wins, as Armstrong defeated Brooke Bartlett 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, and Manasse recovered from a first set loss to beat Courtney Byron.

Anais Dallara defeated Clare Fermin 6-4, 6-2 to bring her singles winning streak to eight matches, while Julie Luzar, unable to convert match points in the second set, lost a three-set match and Lisa Sutton fell 7-5, 7-6 at No. 6 singles.

Long Beach State's victory was their tenth in the last eleven meetings with UC Irvine since 2002.

Doubles

Hammel/Kaloi, UCI def. Grady/Weeks, LBSU 7-8 [2]

Armstrong/Sutton, LBSU def. Fermin/Kwan, UCI 8-6

Dallara/Manasse, LBSU def. #79 Byron/M. Young, UCI 8-1

Singles

#102 Hannah Grady, LBSU def. No. 111 Stephanie Hammel, UCI 6-4, 6-2

Deborah Armstrong, LBSU def. Brooke Bartlett, UCI, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4

Rachel Manasse, LBSU def. Courtney Byron, UCI, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1

Anais Dallara, LBSU def. Clare Fermin, UCI, 6-4, 6-2

Rebcca Kwan, UCI def. Julie Luzar, LBSU 5-7, 7-6 [10-8], 6-3

Heidi Kaloi, UCI def. Lisa Sutton, LBSU lost 7-5, 7-6 [6]