LA JOLLA, Calif. – The UC San Diego women's tennis team heads north for its final road trip of the season this weekend, as the Tritons travel to Cal Poly Saturday and UC Santa Barbara on Sunday for a pair of Big West Conference matches. First serve each day is scheduled for 11 a.m.
 
DETAILS
Match 8
UC San Diego (2-5 overall, 1-3 Big West) at Cal Poly (10-0, 4-0)
Saturday, April 10 | 11 a.m. PT
Mustang Tennis Complex | San Luis Obispo
 
Match 9
UC San Diego (2-5 overall, 1-3 Big West) at UC Santa Barbara (5-3, 4-0)
Sunday, April 11 | 11 a.m. PT
Recreation Center Courts | Santa Barbara
 
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 matches at Northview Tennis Courts at this time.
 
ABOUT UC SAN DIEGO
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 2-5
Big West: 1-3
Home: 2-0
Away: 0-5
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: W1
Oracle/ITA Ranking: NR
 
ABOUT CAL POLY
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 10-0
Big West: 4-0
Home: 7-0
Away: 3-0
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: W10
Oracle/ITA Ranking: NR
 
ABOUT UC SANTA BARBARA
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 5-3
Big West: 4-0
Home: 2-0
Away: 3-3
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-2
Streak: W4
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
The Tritons swept all three doubles matches against UC Riverside on Wednesday. Sophomore captain Sophie Pearson picked up a win at No. 1 singles, freshman Ella Pachl was victorious at No. 2, sophomore captain Rachel Wagner won at No. 3, and freshman Monica Stratakos earned a win at No. 6 as the Tritons rolled to a 5-2 Big West Conference win over the visiting Highlanders.

First Big West (@BigWestSports) win. ??
Perfect 2-0 at home. ??#GoTritons pic.twitter.com/PZWiZT68qn

— UCSD Women's Tennis (@ucsdwtennis) April 8, 2021

AWARD-WINNER
Following her impressive performance at UC Irvine, sophomore Sophie Pearson was named the UCSDTritons.com Athlete of the Week (April 5). Pearson's 6-7 (5), 7-5, 10-7 win marked the Tritons' first-ever No. 1 singles victory in the program's brief Division I history.
 
HOME COOKIN'
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). With UC San Diego's victory over UC Riverside (April 7), the Tritons improved to 2-0 at home and have now won 10 of their last 11 matches at Northview Tennis Courts.
 
POSSIBLE STARTERS
Here are the possible Triton starters for this week based on the team's last match vs. UC Riverside on April 7:
 
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 594-307. 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 to Northview Tennis Courts for their final two matches of the season. Next up, UC San Diego will host CSUN in a Big West Conference match on April 18 at 3 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.