RANCHO SANTA FE, Calif. – Senior Sahm Irvine won his second singles decision in as many matches on Saturday, but it was not enough, as UC San Diego fell to San Francisco, 6-1, at Rancho Valencia Resort Saturday afternoon.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: San Francisco 6, UC San Diego 1
Records: UC San Diego 0-5 (0-0 Big West); San Francisco 2-2 (0-0 West Coast)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Dons earned an early advantage, winning the doubles point with 6-4 victories at No. 1 and No. 3. UC San Diego's junior tandem of Phillip Lan and William Lan were in the middle of a close competition on No.2 when San Francisco sealed their doubles victory.
 
For the second time in as many matches, Irvine turned in an epic performance in singles to earn the Tritons a point. On Saturday, the senior took the first set, 6-2, before his opponent leveled things up in the second set. Irvine came back to secure the point in a marathon third set, which finished 10-4 in Irvine's favor.
 
Unfortunately, Irvine's victory was once again too little, too late for the Tritons. His three-set epic was the last of the six singles points to finish, and the Dons won the other five to earn victory. San Francisco clinched the win by taking points in straight sets on courts 1, 3, and 2 in that order. And despite the best efforts of sophomores Jett Cole and Tristan Taylor, the Dons won at No. 4 and No. 6, respectively, to bring their point total up to half a dozen.
 
RESULTS
Doubles
1. Nitzan Ricklis/Phuc Huynh (USF) def. Daniel Traxler/Jett Cole (UCSD), 6-4
2. Phillip Lan/William Lan (UCSD) vs. Stevie Gould/Mitch Johnson (USF), 4-5, dnf
3. Nikola Kuraica/Johan Garpered (USF) def. Pelayo Rodriguez/Eric Silberman (UCSD), 6-4 
 
Order of finish: 1, 3

Singles
1. Nil Giraldez (USF) def. Daniel Traxler (UCSD), 6-1, 6-1
2. Nitzan Rickles (USF) def. Phillip Lan (UCSD), 6-4, 6-0
3. Phuc Huynh (USF) def. Pelayo Rodriguez Garcia (UCSD), 6-2, 6-3
4. Mitch Johnson (USF) def. Jett Cole (UCSD), 7-5, 6-2
5. Sahm Irvine (UCSD) def. David Woodland (USF), 6-2, 3-6, 10-4
6. Nikola Kuraica (USF) def. Tristan Taylor (UCSD), 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
 
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2, 4, 6, 5
 
QUOTABLE
"We have improved match-to-match, but it is going to take some confidence to break through," Head Coach Timmer Willing said. "USF compressed well and had a good understanding of what their own strengths were and exploited our vulnerabilities."

TRITON TIDBITS

• Saturday's doubles play was the first match as partners this season for Daniel Traxler and Jett Cole, as well as for Pelayo Rodriguez Garcia and Eric Silberman
• Sahm Irvine and Tristan Taylor became the third and fourth Tritons to contest a third set in singles play this season
• Adjacent to doubles play, UC San Diego freshmen Joseph Teh and Sanjith Devineni defeated Giraldez and Woodland, 6-4, in contest that did not affect the match score

 
UP NEXT
The Tritons head to Arizona for their next two matches, facing Northern Arizona on Feb. 18 in Flagstaff and Grand Canyon on Feb. 20 in Phoenix. UC San Diego will return home to the Northview Tennis Courts on March 3 to host Villanova.
 
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.