LA JOLLA, Calif. – The UC San Diego women's tennis team returns home on Tuesday when the Tritons welcome San Diego Christian to Northview Tennis Courts. With three matches remaining in their second Division I season – two at home – the Tritons are in search of their first victory since Feb. 5.
 
UC San Diego and San Diego Christian will be meeting for the first time. The Hawks began sponsoring women's tennis in 2014.
 
DETAILS
Match 19
UC San Diego (2-16) vs. San Diego Christian (4-7)
Tuesday, April 5 | 1 p.m. PDT
Northview Tennis Courts | La Jolla
 
ATTENDING UC SAN DIEGO HOME MATCHES
For the latest information on attending home events, please visit our Spectator Information Page. Parking permits are required seven days per week at UC San Diego.
 
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: 2-16
Big West: 1-6
Home: 2-9
Away: 0-7
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: L12
ITA Ranking: NR
 
ABOUT SAN DIEGO CHRISTIAN
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 4-7
Golden State Athletic Conference: 4-3
Home: 2-4
Away: 2-3
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: W1
ITA Ranking: NR
 
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 TIME OUT
The UC San Diego women's tennis team wrapped up its Northern California road swing with a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Santa Clara inside the Degheri Tennis Center on March 23. It was the Tritons' fourth match in five days, including three matches in three cities over three days.
 
The Broncos clinched the doubles point, with a 6-2 win at No. 1 and a competitive 6-4 victory at the third position. At second doubles, Triton freshmen Katelyn Vu and Naomi Nguyen trailed 5-6 when Santa Clara clinched the doubles point. In singles play, Santa Clara picked up straight set victories at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 5 to grab the shutout victory.
 
PACHL CAPTURES BIG WEST HONORS
After helping the Tritons to a victory in their first Big West match, UC San Diego sophomore Ella Pachl was honored by the Big West as the conference's Player of the Week on February 9.

The Laguna Beach native teamed with junior Sophie Pearson at No. 1 doubles for a pair of victories: 6-4 over Pacific on Friday and 6-3 over UC Irvine on Saturday. Playing at the top spot in singles action, Pachl posted a tidy 6-3, 6-3 win over Irvine on Saturday to help the Tritons to a 5-2 victory in their first Big West match. On Friday, Pachl led 3-1 in the third set at No. 1 singles when the match was halted. For the week, she was 2-0 in doubles and 1-0 in singles.
 
DOUBLES TROUBLE
The UC San Diego women's tennis doubles tandem of junior Sophie Pearson and sophomore Ella Pachl were recognized as All-Big West Conference Honorable Mention following the 2021 spring season. The duo became the first UC San Diego pair recognized by the Big West for their on-court play.
 
MAKING THE GRADE
The Tritons have continued to excel in the classroom. UC San Diego posted a 3.43 team grade point average during fall quarter. Senior captain Shweta Kumar and junior Tiara Nourishad each posted a 4.0. Last spring, the UC San Diego women's tennis team earned the 2021 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-Academic Team award, while five Tritons earned ITA Scholar-Athlete accolades. Anu Bhadada, Shweta Kumar, Tiara Nourishad, Sophie Pearson, and Julianna Sabile collected ITA Scholar-Athlete honors.
 
TEN TRITONS MAKE COMMISSIONER'S HONOR ROLL
Ten members of the UC San Diego women's tennis team were honored for their work in the classroom by being named to the 2021 Big West Commissioner's Honor Roll last month. Anu Bhadada, Shweta Kumar, Tiara Nourishad, Sophie Pearson and Julianna Sabile all earned Highest Honors for maintaining a cumulative GPA between 3.51 and 4.0. Anjni Agrawal, Ella Pachl, Devika Pantpratinidhi and Monica Stratakos were all recognized With Honors for maintaining a GPA between 3.21 and 3.50. Cara Puscasiu earned a spot on the Honor Roll for posting a GPA between 3.00 and 3.20.
 
POSSIBLE STARTERS
Here are the possible Triton starters for Tuesday's match based on the team's last match on March 23 at Santa Clara:
 
Doubles
1. Ella Pachl/Anu Bhadada
2. Katelyn Vu/Naomi Nguyen
3. Rachel Wagner/Adriana Tabares
 
Singles
1. Ella Pachl
2. Katelyn Vu
3. Naomi Nguyen
4. Rachel Wagner 
5. Shweta Kumar
6. Anu Bhadada
 
TEAM CAPTAINS
UC San Diego seniors Anu Bhadada and Shweta Kumar are this year's team captains.
 
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
This year's Tritons are composed of a pair of seniors, six juniors, and three sophomores and four freshmen. Last year's squad boasted no seniors.
 
MEET THE NEWCOMERS
Entering its second year as an NCAA Division I program in the Big West Conference, the UC San Diego women's tennis team announced its incoming class of four standout scholar-athletes. Naomi Nguyen, Ania Snissarenko, Adriana Tabares, and Katelyn Vu are the newest members of the Tritons women's tennis team.
 
COACH LAPLANTE IN 43RD SEASON
This season marks the 43rd of legendary head coach Liz LaPlante in charge of the UC San Diego women's tennis program. She is the longest-tenured coach on the Triton staff, with fellow San Diego State graduate Denny Harper having just completed his 42nd year at the helm of the men's water polo team. LaPlante has led UC San Diego to four national championships (1985, 1987, 1989, 1994) and five national runner-up efforts (1982, 1984, 1990, 1995, 2000), all at the NCAA Division III level, as well as seven California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) banners, all in succession between 2004-10, before the league stopped sponsoring tennis. The four national titles are still the third-most in Division III history. LaPlante's all-time dual-match record stands at 596-326. She has recorded winning seasons and posted double-digit victory totals in all but five of her full seasons. Her teams have had 20 or more wins on five occasions.
 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego wraps up its home slate with a Big West match on Senior Day against UC Santa Barbara. First serve is slated for 1 p.m. on April 15
 
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 @ucsdwtennis.
 
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.