LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego's men's tennis team held an early lead over Air Force on Friday, but the Falcons surged back in singles action to win, 5-2, and deny the Tritons their third straight win at Northview Tennis Courts.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Air Force 5, UC San Diego 2
Records: UC San Diego 3-9 (1-0 Big West), Air Force 11-4 (0-0 Mountain West)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The early stages of Friday's match played out nearly identically to the Tritons' wins over UC Riverside and Boston U earlier this week. After falling at No. 1 doubles, UC San Diego won the point thanks to the Eric Silberman/Zach Ermert and Pelayo Rodriguez/Phillip Lan pairings at Nos. 2 and 3.
 
Also keeping in fashion with the week's earlier matches, the visiting Falcons took the first point of singles play before the Tritons restored their lead, this time through senior Sahm Irvine winning at No. 6. But that is where the similarities end, as Air Force won at No. 5 to level the match and then won again at No. 2, taking the lead for good. The Falcons' win at No. 3 clinched victory, and their win at No. 4 but a bow on it.
 
RESULTS
Doubles:

1. Robert Baylon/Jordan Azuma (AFA) def. Jett Cole/Daniel Traxler (UCSD), 6-1
2. Eric Silberman/Zach Ermert (UCSD) def. Alex Krawietz/Arjun Kersten (AFA), 6-3
3. Pelayo Rodriguez/Phillip Lan (UCSD) def. Jonathan Mascagni/Nick Vroman (AFA), 6-2

 
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3
 
Singles:

1. Robert Baylon (AFA) def. Daniel Traxler (UCSD), 6-1, 6-1
2. Jonathan Mascagni (AFA) def. Phillip Lan (UCSD), 6-3, 7-5
3. Nick Vroman (AFA) def. Zach Ermert (UCSD), 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1
4. Arjun Kersten (AFA) def. Pelayo Rodriguez (UCSD), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
5. Justin Waldman (AFA) def. Jett Cole (UCSD), 6-4, 6-4
6. Sahm Irvine (UCSD) def. Jordan Azuma (AFA), 6-2, 6-4

 
Order of finish: 1, 6, 5, 2, 3, 4
 
QUOTABLE
"It was a tough, physical, grind of a match," Head Coach Timmer Willing said. "Air Force, as expected, was not going to give in or let up. They beat us by out-working us. Our guys hopefully learned from the mentality of our opponents. It was a good match for us to learn from and improve our mental state, in tennis and in life."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Eric Silberman and Zach Ermert are now unbeaten in their last five doubles matches, still undefeated at Northview Tennis Courts, and 6-1 on the year
• Sahm Irvine recorded his earliest finish of the season (in terms of finish order) by being the second singles match to wrap up on Friday

 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego is back in action March 20, when the Tritons face Dartmouth at Northview Tennis Courts. First serve is scheduled for 9 a.m. PT in La Jolla.
 
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.