LA JOLLA, Calif. - The 22nd-ranked UC San Diego women's tennis team scored a big, 5-0 victory over No. 14 Azusa Pacific in a West Region showdown Friday at Northview Courts.
UCSD improved to 11-9 overall and avenged a 5-4 loss to APU earlier in the season. The Tritons are ranked fourth in the region, while the Cougars are third.
UC San Diego handily swept doubles play to take a 3-0 lead in the match. All three contests finished with an 8-3 score.
At No. 1, the 25th-ranked team of Britta Mosser and Kyra Scott defeated Kara Hinton and Natalie Johnson. Ashley Chao and Shannon Theisen beat Lisa Schneider and Lilit Vardanyan at No. 2 and Madison Hale and Alexandra Weil topped Valeriia Kashina and Jackie Resler at No. 3.
It was the eighth-straight win for Hale and Weil, who improved to a team-best 16-4 on the year.
The Tritons won the first two singles matches that finished to ice the victory.
At No. 4, Chao downed Vardanyan, 6-2, 6-1 to give her team a 4-0 lead. UCSD picked up the decisive fifth point when Jasmine Hosseini posted a 6-2, 6-3 win against Hinton at No. 3.
It was Chao's 10th singles triumph this season.
UC San Diego hosts No. 37 Point Loma on April 6 at 2 p.m. A victory against the Sea Lions would likely clinch a postseason spot for the Tritons. The top three teams in the West Region qualify and Azusa Pacific lost to PLNU earlier this week.
#22 UC San Diego 5, #14 Azusa Pacific 0
April 1, 2016 at La Jolla, CA (Northview Courts)
Singles competition
1. #31 Kyra Scott (UCSD) vs. #18 Natalie Johnson (APU) 6-3, 3-3, unfinished
2. Britta Mosser (UCSD) vs. Lisa Schneider (APU) 4-6, 5-4, unfinished
3. Jasmine Hosseini (UCSD) def. Kara Hinton (APU) 6-2, 6-3
4. Ashley Chao (UCSD) def. Lilit Vardanyan (APU) 6-2, 6-1
5. Alexandra Weil (UCSD) vs. Jackie Resler (APU) 6-7 (5-7), 0-1, unfinished
6. Madison Hale (UCSD) vs. Lindsey Yeom (APU) 7-6 (7-5), 1-1, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. #25 Britta Mosser/Kyra Scott (UCSD) def. Kara Hinton/Natalie Johnson (APU) 8-3
2. Ashley Chao/Shannon Theisen (UCSD) def. Lisa Schneider/Lilit Vardanyan (APU) 8-3
3. Madison Hale/Alexandra Weil (UCSD) def. Valeriia Kashina/Jackie Resler (APU) 8-3
Match Notes
Azusa Pacific 13-6; National ranking #14; Regional ranking #3
UC San Diego 11-9; National ranking #22; Regional ranking #4
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (4,3)
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