SAN DIEGO – The UC San Diego women's tennis team is still looking for its first road win this season after suffering a 4-0 defeat to San Diego State on Saturday.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: San Diego State 4, UC San Diego 0
Records: UC San Diego 1-3 (0-0 Big West); San Diego State 3-0 (0-0 Mountain West)
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Aztecs and Tritons went back-and-forth in doubles play. San Diego State took an early lead with their win at No. 1, only for UC San Diego senior captain Anu Bhadada and junior Rachel Wagner to bring the Tritons back level with their win at No. 3. In the decisive match at No. 2, freshmen Katelyn Vu and Adriana Tabares came up short and the doubles point went to the hosts.
Unfortunately for UC San Diego, singles play was a rather one-sided affair. The Aztecs won in two sets at No. 1, 3, and 5 to clinch the match. While San Diego State had the victory secured, Wagner, Vu and junior Sophie Pearson were all leading sets when the match ended.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. Bunyawi Thamchaiwat/Tamara Arnold (SDSU) def. Ella Pachl/Sophie Pearson (UCSD), 6-1
2. Nnena Nadozie/Alicia Melosch (SDSU) def. Katelyn Vu/Adriana Tabares (UCSD), 6-4
3. Anu Bhadada/Rachel Wagner (UCSD) def. Regina Pitts/Julia Jordan (SDSU), 6-3
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2
Singles
1. Bunyawi Thamchaiwat (SDSU) def. Ella Pachl (UCSD), 6-2, 6-0
2. Sophie Pearson (UCSD) vs. Tamara Arnold (SDSU), 0-6, 4-3, dnf
3. Nnena Nadozie (SDSU) def. Adriana Tabares (UCSD), 6-1, 6-2
4. Katelyn Vu (UCSD) vs. Regina Pitts (SDSU), 3-6, 5-4, dnf
5. Alicia Melosch (SDSU) def. Anu Bhadada (UCSD), 6-0, 6-4
6. Rachel Wagner (UCSD) vs. Julia Jordan (SDSU), 6-7, 1-0, dnf
Order of finish: 1, 3, 5
QUOTABLE
"I thought we battled well this afternoon," Head Coach Liz LaPlante said. "I'm definitely seeing our improvement overall and the team's hard work is starting to pay off."
TRITON TIDBITS
- UC San Diego's pairing of Bhadada and Wagner have now won three straight doubles matches at No. 3
- Bhadada got payback on Pitts and Jordan for a doubles loss she suffered (then paired with fellow senior captain Shweta Kumar) at the SDSU Fall Classic in November
UP NEXT
UC San Diego is back home on Friday to host Pacific, kicking off a five-match homestand. Play is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. PT at Northview Tennis Courts. The Tritons begin Big West play at noon the following day against UC Irvine.
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.
