LA JOLLA, Calif. – The UC San Diego men's tennis team fell to Sacramento State by a 5-0 score on Thursday morning at Northview Tennis Courts. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Sacramento State 5, UC San Diego 0
Records: UC San Diego 0-3 (0-0 Big West); Sacramento State 1-0 (0-0 Big Sky)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Sacramento State took the upper hand early in doubles play, winning the first set of the day at No. 1. The Tritons fought back, with redshirt senior Zach Ermert and sophomore Eric Silberman winning at No. 2. Freshmen Pelayo Rodriguez Garcia and Joseph Teh put up a stellar fight, but fell 7-5 as the Hornets took the doubles point. 

In singles play, Sacramento State took their lead and ran with it, winning at No. 1, 2, 4 and 6 to claim victory. UC San Diego freshman Pelayo Rodriguez Garcia picked up his second singles win of the season and was in the midst of a close second set at No. 5 when the Hornets clinched the match. Down 1 set to 0 at No. 3, Ermert was leading the second set 5-4 when the match concluded.

RESULTS
Doubles
1. Mark Keki/Mate Voros (SAC) def. Daniel Traxler/Phillip Lan (UCSD), 6-3
2. Zach Ermert/Eric Silberman (UCSD) def. Hayden Rand/Rudolfs Aksenoks (SAC), 6-2
3. Patrick Wong/Ori Maior (SAC) def. Pelayo Rodriguez Garcia/Joseph Teh (UCSD), 7-5
 
Singles
1. Mark Keki (SAC) def. Daniel Traxler (UCSD), 6-1, 6-4
2. Mate Voros (SAC) def. Phillip Lan (UCSD), 7-6 (7-5), 6-0
3. Zach Ermert (UCSD) vs. Ori Maior (SAC), 6-4, 4-5, dnf
4. Patrick Wong (SAC) def. Jett Cole (UCSD), 6-0, 6-2
5. Pelayo Rodriguez Garcia (UCSD) vs. Rudolfs Aksenoks (SAC), 6-2, 2-3, dnf
6. Hayden Rand (SAC) def. William Lan (UCSD), 6-2, 6-1

QUOTABLE
"(Sacramento State) are a very solid team and we continued to make errors mentally and lacked execution on most courts throughout the singles play," Head Coach Timmer Willing said. "The bright side is we have been getting better each match, but it still comes down to being able to sustain focus for two sets and possibly even a third."

TRITON TIDBITS

• This was Daniel Traxler and Eric Silberman's first match of the season
• Joseph Teh made his collegiate debut in doubles
• The Tritons and Hornets will face off again this season, in Sacramento on April 24

UP NEXT
UC San Diego rounds out its season-opening homestand with a pair of matches on Jan. 29 against Saint Katherine and San Diego City College. The first match in the doubleheader is scheduled for 11 a.m. PT, with the second match planned for 3 p.m. Spectators will not be permitted to attend.

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.