LA JOLLA, Calif. – The UC San Diego women's tennis team returns to Big West Conference action this week, as the Tritons make the short drive north to face UC Irvine.
DETAILS
Match 6
UC San Diego (1-4 overall, 0-2 Big West) at UC Irvine (1-7, 1-3)
Saturday, April 3 | Noon PT
UCI Tennis Stadium, Irvine
ATTENDING UC SAN DIEGO HOME MATCHES
Per current COVID-19 safety guidelines and protocols implemented by UC San Diego, spectators are not permitted to attend home games at
Northview Tennis Courts at this time.
ABOUT UC SAN DIEGO
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 1-4
Big West: 0-2
Home: 1-0
Away: 0-4
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: L2
Oracle/ITA Ranking: NR
ABOUT UC IRVINE
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 1-7
Big West: 1-3
Home: 0-2
Away: 1-5
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: W1
Oracle/ITA Ranking: NR
ON THE MOVE
After 20 seasons playing as an NCAA Division II team, the entire athletics program has begun a four-year transition to NCAA Division I, culminating in full DI status as a member of the
Big West Conference for the 2024-25 academic year. At that time, all sports will be eligible for conference and NCAA postseason play.
LAST TIME OUT
UC San Diego dropped a pair of contests at Hawai'i last week. After a UH win in Big West play Thursday, the teams met again on Friday, March 26, in a non-conference affair. The Rainbow Wahine captured the doubles point thanks to wins at No. 3 and No. 1. Triton captains
Anu Bhadada and
Rachel Wagner led 4-3 at No. 2 when Hawai'i clinched the point.
In singles action, UC San Diego freshman
Monica Stratakos won her second set, 6-2, at No. 4. However, her match was halted when Hawai'i earned victories at No. 3, 6 and 2 to clinch the match.
BACK AT HOME
When UC San Diego downed Portland State on March 22, it marked the Tritons' first home match in more than a year (March 4, 2020).
POSSIBLE STARTERS
Here are the possible Triton starters for this week based on the match at Hawai'i on March 25:
Doubles
1.
Sophie Pearson/
Ella Pachl
2.
Rachel Wagner/
Anu Bhadada
3.
Shweta Kumar/
Monica Stratakos
Singles
1.
Sophie Pearson
2.
Ella Pachl
3.
Rachel Wagner
4.
Anu Bhadada
5.
Shweta Kumar
6.
Monica Stratakos
LONG WAIT TO FACE THE BEACH
The Tritons' scheduled home opener against Long Beach State March 11 was
canceled when the Beach opted out of participation this season.
TEAM CAPTAINS
UC San Diego junior
Anu Bhadada and sophomores
Sophie Pearson and
Rachel Wagner are this year's team captains.
YOUNG TRITONS
Not only are the Tritons the new kids on the block in the Big West, but UC San Diego boasts one of the youngest rosters in the conference. This year's Tritons are composed of a pair of juniors, six sophomores, and four freshmen.
MEET THE NEWCOMERS
Entering its first year as an NCAA Division I program in the Big West Conference, the UC San Diego women's tennis team announced its incoming class of four standout scholar-athletes.
Aanya Goel,
Ella Pachl,
Devika Pantpratinidhi, and
Monica Stratakos are the newest members of the Tritons women's tennis team.
COACH LAPLANTE IN 42ND SEASON
This season marks the 42nd of legendary head coach
Liz LaPlante in charge of the UC San Diego women's tennis program. She is the longest-tenured coach on the Triton staff, with fellow San Diego State graduate
Denny Harper having just completed his 41st year at the helm of the men's water polo team. LaPlante has led UC San Diego to four national championships (1985, 1987, 1989, 1994) and five national runner-up efforts (1982, 1984, 1990, 1995, 2000), all at the NCAA Division III level, as well as seven California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) banners, all in succession between 2004-10, before the league stopped sponsoring tennis. The four national titles are still the third-most in Division III history. LaPlante's all-time dual-match record stands at 593-306. She has recorded winning seasons and posted double-digit victory totals in all but five of her campaigns. Her teams have had 20 or more wins on five occasions.
REGISTRATION COMPLETE
All eligible members of the UC San Diego women's tennis team completed their voter registration as part of a larger initiative to register all Triton scholar-athletes to vote. In all, more than 90% of eligible UC San Diego scholar-athletes registered to vote in November's election.
UP NEXT
The Tritons return home on Wednesday, April 7, to host UC Riverside in a Big West Conference match. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m.
UC SAN DIEGO ATHLETICS LAUNCHES WEEKLY PODCAST
As part of UC San Diego's transition to Division I, the Athletics Department launched a weekly podcast,
Tritoncast. Produced by UC San Diego Athletics Communications, Tritoncast features in-depth interviews with UC San Diego personalities including scholar-athletes, alums, coaches, and administrators. Triton fans will get an inside look at the UC San Diego Athletics Department as the program transitions to NCAA Division I and the Big West Conference. New episodes of Tritoncast are available each week on the most popular podcasting apps, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Audible, iHeartRadio, Pandora, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, and Vurbl. In addition, each episode can be heard and downloaded on UCSDTritons.com. For individual show information and listen links, follow Tritoncast on Twitter
@Tritoncast.
GET SOCIAL WITH UC SAN DIEGO TENNIS
Keep up with the Tritons all season long on social media through
Twitter and
Instagram. The team's handle is @ucsdwtennis.
FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out the
Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UC San Diego home athletic events, and much more!
GEAR
For the latest Triton apparel and accessories, visit the official team store of the Tritons
here.
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
Return To Sport…Safely
In order for UC San Diego scholar-athletes to be permitted to return to training and competition safely and within federal, state, local, and university guidelines, the athletic department implemented a number of measures designed to complement and enhance the university's highly-successful Return To Learn program. Notable actions include being physically distanced when practical, including during out-of-season training sessions; wearing masks, except when undergoing physically strenuous exercise; and maintaining proper hygiene. Athletes, coaches, and staff are testing at a higher frequency than the campus population, teams adhere to CDC, NCAA, and Big West Conference guidelines, and department officials participate in regular meetings with conference and university-affiliated physicians and the UC San Diego emergency operations staff.
