LA JOLLA, Calif. — UC San Diego men's tennis Head Coach Timmer Willing was hardly concerned with the score line on Thursday, as his Tritons tested themselves in a doubleheader against a talented Arizona State team at Northview Tennis Courts. The Sun Devils, ranked 63^rd in the country, won both matches, 4-0 and 5-0.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final Match #1: #63 Arizona State 4, UC San Diego 0
Final Match #2: #63 Arizona State 5, UC San Diego 0
Records: UC San Diego 4-18 (1-3 Big West); #63 Arizona State 8-12 (1-3 Pac-12)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
After Arizona State kicked off the day's action by swiftly winning at Nos. 1 and 2 in doubles to take the doubles point, the Tritons dug their heels in a bit in singles action. Sophomore Jett Cole grabbed a win in his first set at No. 5, and junior Phillip Lan took the second set at No. 2. Freshman Pelayo Rodriguez lost his first at No. 4 but held a 3-2 lead in the second when the match concluded, as the Sun Devils, led by the #17 singles player in the country, clinched victory with wins at Nos. 1, 3, and 6.
 
After fielding their regular starters in the morning match, the Tritons rotated their squad for the afternoon's action, giving younger players a chance to develop their game against high-level opposition. The different squad did not yield a different result, as Arizona State won the doubles point, this time via Nos. 2 and 3, before clinching their 5-0 victory in singles. Tristan Taylor did well at No. 6, extending the first set (eventually falling, 7-5) in only his fifth match of the season.

RESULTS | Match #1
For the box score from the morning match, click here.
 
RESULTS | Match #2
For the box score from the afternoon match, click here.
 
QUOTABLE
"The intent here was to play a high-level team, and we got to do that. I felt it was important for our guys to see the level that we want to attain," Willing said. "Maybe it's tough on the win-loss record for everybody, but we can't worry about those. You can only keep working to get better, and if we have goals that we want to attain, these are the kinds of matches that we've got to learn from and improve upon … so this was a good experience for us, and we're going to keep doing it. As long as we can get these kinds of matches, we're going to keep playing them."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Thursday was the second time the Tritons have hosted the 17^th-ranked singles player in the country this season; Andre Ilagan of Hawai'i held that title when the Rainbow Warriors visited Northview on March 21
• In his final home match as a Triton, senior Sahm Irvine played at his highest singles position of the year, No. 2, in the afternoon action
• Jett Cole and Joseph Teh played as a doubles partnership for the first time in Thursday's second match

 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will play their penultimate Big West Conference match on the road next, traveling to #59 Cal Poly on Sunday, with first serve scheduled for 11 a.m. in San Luis Obispo.
 
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.