LA JOLLA, Calif. – The UC San Diego men's tennis team will look for its first win of the season on Thursday when the Tritons play host to Sacramento State at Northview Tennis Courts. First serve is scheduled for 10 a.m. PT in La Jolla.
DETAILS
Match 3
UC San Diego (0-2 overall, 0-0 Big West) vs Sacramento State (0-0 overall, 0-0 Big Sky)
Thursday, January 20 | 10 a.m. PT
Northview Tennis Courts | La Jolla
ATTENDING UC SAN DIEGO HOME MATCHES
Spectators are not permitted to attend UC San Diego home events through at least January 30. For more information, click here.
UC SAN DIEGO AND COVID-19
UC San Diego's nationally renowned Return to Learn program was created to return to in-person teaching, learning, conducting pioneering research and serving our communities in the safest way possible. The program has three adaptive pillars that are central to our strategy to resume on-campus activity: risk mitigation, viral detection, and intervention.
For the latest information on UC San Diego and COVID-19, please visit the University's Return to Learn site.
ABOUT UC SAN DIEGO
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 0-2
Big West: 0-0
Home: 0-2
Away: 0-0
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: L2
Oracle/ITA Ranking: NR
ABOUT SACRAMENTO STATE
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 0-0
Big Sky: 0-0
Home: 0-0
Away: 0-0
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: --
Oracle/ITA Ranking: NR
LAST TIME OUT
UC San Diego opened its second Division I season with a doubleheader at home against Nevada last week. Despite freshman Pelayo Rodriguez Garcia earning his first career victories in singles and in doubles alongside Jett Cole, the Tritons fell to the Wolfpack in both matches, 6-1 and 4-0.
ON THE MOVE
After 20 seasons playing as an NCAA Division II team, the entire athletics program is in its second year of 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.
LONG TIME, NO SEE
The Tritons' last meeting with the Hornets came all the way back in 2007, at the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Invitational. Competing in Division II at the time, UC San Diego pulled off the upset over Division I Sacramento State by a score of 4-3.
MAKING THE GRADE
The Tritons have continued to excel in the classroom. In the fall quarter, freshman Joseph Teh posted a 4.0 grade point average. Last spring, the UC San Diego men's tennis team earned 2021 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-Academic Team award, while four Tritons earned ITA Scholar-Athlete accolades.
TRAXLER EARNS ALL-BIG WEST HONORS
UC San Diego men's tennis returns Daniel Traxler, who was an All-Big West second team honoree after his performance in singles competition during the 2021 spring season. The rising junior recorded a 2-2 record as the first singles player in conference play.
POSSIBLE STARTERS
Here are the possible Triton starters for this week based on the team's last match on Jan. 16 vs. Nevada:
Doubles
1. Jett Cole/Pelayo Rodriguez Garcia
2. Sanjith Devineni/Zach Ermert
3. Phillip Lan/William Lan
Singles
1. Jett Cole
2. Phillip Lan
3. Zach Ermert
4. Pelayo Rodriguez Garcia
5. William Lan
6. Sanjith Devineni
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
This year's Tritons are composed of a pair of seniors, four juniors, three sophomores and three freshmen. Three seniors graduated from last year's squad.
MEET THE NEWCOMERS
Entering its second year as an NCAA Division I program in the Big West Conference, the UC San Diego men's tennis team announced its incoming class of three standout scholar-athletes. Sanjith Devineni (Edison, N.J.), Pelayo Rodriguez Garcia (Madrid, Spain), and Joseph Teh (San Jose, Calif.) make up the 2021-22 freshmen class.
WILLING ENTERS 10TH SEASON AS HEAD COACH
Head coach Timmer Willing enters his 10th season at the helm of UC San Diego men's tennis and 21st with the program after previously serving as an assistant coach with the program for 11 years. During his tenure, the Tritons have compiled an 84-79 record and made five appearances in the NCAA Division II postseason tournament.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will round out its season-opening homestand with a doubleheader on Jan. 29, welcoming Saint Katherine and San Diego City College to the Northview Tennis Courts. The first match is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. PT, with the second match scheduled to get underway at 3 p.m. PT in La Jolla.
WHY THE TRITONS?
The Triton is described as the offspring of Poseidon and Amphitrite, a demigod of the sea with a lower part of the body like that of a fish. It is known as a mighty and fierce sea warrior. Given UC San Diego's close proximity to the Pacific Ocean and its connections with the world-famous Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Triton became our mascot in 1964.
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 @ucsdmtennis.
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, click 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 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
