LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego's men's tennis team will play its second straight match away from home on Saturday, facing off with San Francisco. The Tritons will not have to travel to the Bay, however, as the match will take place at a neutral site in Rancho Santa Fe, California. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. PT at Rancho Valencia Resort.

DETAILS
Match 5
UC San Diego (0-4, 0-0 Big West) vs San Francisco (0-2, 0-0 WCC)
Saturday, February 5 | 1 p.m. PT
Rancho Valencia Resort | Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.

ATTENDING UC SAN DIEGO HOME MATCHES
Spectators are not permitted to attend UC San Diego home events through at least February 6. 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: 0-4
Home: 0-3
Away: 0-1
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: L4
Oracle/ITA Ranking: NR

ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 0-2
Home: 0-0
Away: 0-2
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: L2
Oracle/ITA Ranking: NR

LAST TIME OUT
UC San Diego made the short trip to face San Diego State in their last match. Senior Sahm Irvine put up an impressive singles performance to earn a point for the Tritons, but that would be all, as the Aztecs took the match by a score of 6-1. 

IRVINE SHAKES OFF RUST IN NO TIME
Despite it being his first match in nearly two years, Sahm Irvine took his singles win at San Diego State in convincing fashion on Wednesday. After the COVID-19 pandemic cut the 2020 season short, Irvine did not play in the 2021 season, but he has started 2022 in fine form. The senior dominated his first set on Wednesday, winning 6-0. Then, he finished off the game by winning a very close second set, 7-5. 

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.

LAST MEETING
Saturday afternoon's match will be the first ever meeting between the Tritons and Dons. 

POSSIBLE STARTERS
Here are the possible Triton starters for this week based on the team's last match on Feb. 2 at San Diego State:

Doubles

1. Phillip Lan/Daniel Traxler
2. Zach Ermert/Eric Silberman
3. Jett Cole/Pelayo Rodriguez Garcia

Singles

1. Daniel Traxler
2. Zach Ermert
3. Pelayo Rodriguez Garcia 
4. Jett Cole
5. Sahm Irvine
6. Tristan Taylor

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.

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.

UP NEXT
The Tritons continue their stretch away from home with a trip to Flagstaff to take on the Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona on Feb. 18. UC San Diego then swings through Phoenix for a matchup with Grand Canyon Feb. 20 before returning home to the Northview Tennis Courts to host Villanova March 3.

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.