SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC San Diego women's tennis team fell to UC Santa Barbara by a 4-0 score on Sunday afternoon in a Big West Conference match. With the win, the Gauchos remain unbeaten in conference play. Sunday marked the Tritons' final road match in their inaugural Division I season.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: UC Santa Barbara 4, UC San Diego 0
Records: UC San Diego 2-7 (1-5 Big West); UC Santa Barbara 7-3 (6-0 Big West)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC Santa Barbara took the doubles point thanks to a 6-4 win at No. 1 and a 6-0 win at No. 3. The Tritons' team of sophomore Rachel Wagner and junior Anu Bhadada were tied with their opponent, 5-5, at the No. 2 position when the Gauchos clinched the point.
 
In singles play, the Gauchos earned wins at No. 3, 2 and 4 to clinch the match. Sophomore Sophie Pearson won her first set, 6-3, at No. 1 before play was halted as UC Santa Barbara sealed the victory.
 
RESULTS
Doubles
1. Lise Sentenac/Elizaveta Volodko (UCSB) def. Sophie Pearson/Ella Pachl (UCSD), 6-4
2. Rachel Wagner/Anu Bhadada  (UCSD) vs. Kira Reuter/Shahnoza Khatamova (UCSB), 5-5, dnf.
3. Camille Kiss/Marta Gonzalez-Balbe (UCSB) def. Shweta Kumar/Anjni Agrawal (UCSD), 6-0
 
Singles
1. Sophie Pearson (UCSD) vs. Elizaveta Volodko (UCSB), 6-3, 2-3, dnf.
2. Camille Kiss (UCSB) def. Ella Pachl (UCSD), 6-2, 6-2
3. Shahnoza Khatamova (UCSB) def. Rachel Wagner (UCSD), 6-1, 6-0
4. Lise Sentenac (UCSB) def. Anu Bhadada (UCSD), 6-2, 6-3
5. Kira Reuter (UCSB) vs. Shweta Kumar (UCSD), 6-2, 3-5, dnf.
6. Marta Gonzalez-Balbe (UCSB) vs. Julianna Sabile (UCSD), 6-4, 5-0, dnf.

Order of finish: Doubles (3, 1); Singles (3, 2, 4)
 
QUOTABLE
"I thought we were outplayed by some very big hitters, but we played some great points and learned a lot," said UC San Diego head coach Liz LaPlante. "Sophie played amazing and was very aggressive from the baseline in winning her first set. We have some things to work on for our final two matches."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• UC San Diego sophomore Anjni Agrawal saw her first doubles action of the season, teaming with junior Shweta Kumar at No. 3.
• The Tritons concluded their road slate with an 0-7 mark. UC San Diego is a perfect 2-0 at home this season.

 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego returns to Northview Tennis Courts in La Jolla for its final two matches of the season. Next up, the Tritons host CSUN in a Big West Conference match on April 18 at 3 p.m. PDT.

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 began a new era in 2020 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 III and II 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 earned 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.

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.