LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego won a pair of singles matches before falling to Cal State Fullerton, 5-2, in a Big West women's tennis matchup Sunday afternoon at Northview Tennis Courts.
The loss was the third in a row for the Tritons, who are 2-7 overall and 1-3 in conference action. Cal State Fullerton improved to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in the Big West with the win.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Cal State Fullerton 5, UC San Diego 2
Records: UC San Diego 2-7, 1-3 Big West; Cal State Fullerton 4-2, 2-0 Big West
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Titans captured the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 and then won at No. 6 singles and second singles to go up 3-0 in the match. UC San Diego got on the board with a victory at fifth singles. Freshman
Katelyn Vu picked up a tidy 6-3, 6-3 win to cut the deficit to 3-1.
With Fullerton leading 3-1, the Tritons drew closer when sophomore
Ella Pachl won 6-3, 6-3 at No. 1, making the score 3-2 in favor of the Titans.
Cal State Fullerton closed out the win with hard-fought victories at No. 3 and No. 4. After dropping her first set at No. 3, UC San Diego freshman
Naomi Nguyen rallied to take the second set, 6-3, before succumbing in the third, 4-6. Also impressive for the Tritons was freshman
Adriana Tabares. Playing at No. 4, she fell 7-5, 7-5 in her first match since Jan. 29.
RESULTS
For a complete box score,
click here.
QUOTABLE
"I'm really pleased with our fight today," said UC San Diego head coach
Liz LaPlante. "Our freshmen really stepped up. I'm so happy for Katelyn, Naomi battled back in her second set and Adrianna played really well in her first match back [from injury]."
TRITON TIDBITS
- Katelyn Vu's win at No. 5 marked her first collegiate singles victory.
- Cal State Fullerton is 2-0 vs. the Tritons in the Big West after the Titans won last season's match in Fullerton.
- The match was UC San Diego's fifth consecutive at home.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego resumes Big West play on Saturday, when the Tritons visit Long Beach State for a match at Noon. The meeting will serve as the first between the two programs after the Beach opted out of participation in 2021.
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.
