LA JOLLA, Calif. – The No. 7 University of California San Diego men's tennis team was edged by Division I foe UC Davis, but blanked NAIA opponent University of St. Katherine, 4-0, in a pair of home matches today.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUPS
Final: UC Davis 4, UC San Diego 3
Records: UC Davis 7-5, UC San Diego 6-2
 
Final: UC San Diego 4, USK 0
Records: UC San Diego 7-2, USK 2-5
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC DAVIS
The Tritons fought hard throughout the day, and particularly shined in doubles. Against UC Davis, Phillip Lan and Sreeganesh Manoharan achieved a 6-3 victory at first doubles, but then the Aggies evened things at second doubles. On the No. 3 court, Zach Ermert and Marc Isaia outlasted their Aggie opponents, 7-6, to secure the doubles point.
 
Although the Aggies were able to narrowly overcome the Tritons during singles play, UC San Diego picked up wins on the third and fourth courts. Manoharan emerged victorious, 6-2, 6-7, 6-4 at third singles, while Cody Duong cruised to a win, 6-2, 6-1.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: USK
Again, the Tritons clinched the doubles point. The Lan brothers, Phillip and William, teamed up at second doubles to blank their opponents, 6-0. Marius Ruh was joined on the third doubles court by Dylan Taylor, who made his collegiate debut. The pair cruised to a 6-1 win.
 
The Tritons picked up wins on the third, fourth, and fifth singles. Ermert was the first off the court, victorious 6-4, 6-1. Then, Ruh breezed to a win at third singles, 6-0, 6-2. Finally, William Lan, who made his collegiate debut in the UC Davis match, secured a win for the Tritons as he prevailed 6-2, 6-3.
 
COACH'S THOUGHTS
"The entire team came out confident and ready to compete today," said Head Coach Timmer Willing. "We played very well in doubles and had a good start in singles. Neil rolled his ankle in doubles so that kept him out of singles, while Sahm had a fever that kept him out. Our team stepped in without hesitation and almost pulled off the win.
 
"We came back an hour later and went into doubles with USK and eventually finished the match with wins from Marius, who played great all day, Will, in his debut earlier in the day versus Davis then got the clinch versus USK, and Zach, coming back from injury for the first match to clinch the doubles point against Davis and get us on the board in singles.
 
"I couldn't be more proud of the effort, the resiliency, and the absolute belief they have in themselves," Willing added. "It took the entire roster to do what needed to be done today and they did it without excuses against many obstacles."
 
RESULTS: UC DAVIS

Doubles
1. Phillip Lan/Sreeganesh Manoharan (UCSD) def. Ivan Thamma/Chethan Swanson (UCD) 6-3
2. Daniel Landa/David Goulak (UCD) def. Cody Duong/Neil Tengbumroong (UCSD) 7-6
3. Zach Ermert/Marc Isaia (UCSD) def. Dariush Jalali/Andras Necz (UCD) 7-6

Singles
1. Ivan Thamma (UCD) def. Phillip Lan (UCSD) 7-5, 7-6
2. David Goulak (UCD) def. Marc Isaia (UCSD) 6-2, 6-2
3. Sreeganesh Manoharan (UCSD) def. Andras Necz (UCD) 6-2, 6-7, 6-4
4. Cody Duong (UCSD) def. Chethan Swanson (UCD) 6-2, 6-1
5. Arjith Jayaraman (UCD) def. Marius Ruh (UCSD) 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
6. Dariush Jalali (UCD) def. William Lan (UCSD) 6-4, 6-2

RESULTS: USK

Doubles

1. N. Tessi/D. Navarro (USK) def. Marc Isaia/Zach Ermert (UCSD) 6-1
2. Phillip Lan/William Lan (UCSD) def. M. Schroeder/C. Rozpedsko (USK) 6-0
3. Marius Ruh/Dylan Taylor (UCSD) def. J. Reuter/S. Gomez (USK) 6-1

 
Singles

1. Phillip Lan (UCSD) vs. N. Tessi (USK) 6-4, 3-2 unfinished
2. Marc Isaia (UCSD) vs. S. Gomez (USK) 7-6(5) unfinished
3. Marius Ruh (UCSD) def. D. Navarro (USK) 6-0, 6-2
4. Zach Ermert (UCSD) def. C. Rozpedski (USK) 6-4, 6-1
5. William Lan (UCSD) def. J. Reuter (USK) 6-2, 6-3
6. Dylan Taylor (UCSD) def. M. Schroeder (USK) 7-6(11) unfinished

 
UP NEXT
The Tritons will return to action on Tuesday, facing Biola at 9:30 a.m. at Northview Tennis Courts.

About UC San Diego Athletics
With 30 national team championships, nearly 150 individual titles and the top student-athlete graduation rate among Division II institutions in the United States, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program annually ranks as one of the most successful in the country.  The Tritons sponsor 23 intercollegiate sport programs that compete on the NCAA Division I and II levels and, in summer 2020, will transition into full Division I status as a member of the Big West Conference.  UC San Diego student-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent.  A total of 82 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships.  In competition, more than 1,300 UC San Diego student-athletes have earned All-America honors.

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