PHOENIX – Down by a 3-1 score, UC San Diego won three straight singles matches to complete the comeback, topping host Grand Canyon, 4-3, on Sunday at the GCU Tennis Facility. Sophomore Katelyn Vu won 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 at No. 6 to clinch the win for the Tritons. The marathon match lasted more than four hours.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: UC San Diego 4, Grand Canyon 3
Records: UC San Diego 1-1, Grand Canyon 0-2
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego got into the scoring column for the first time in the young season by sweeping doubles action to take a 1-0 lead over their hosts. Senior captain Rachel Wagner teamed with sophomore Katelyn Vu to blank their opponents in the third position, 6-0. The Tritons clinched the doubles point thanks to a 6-4 win by sophomore Naomi Nguyen and freshman Grace Gamal at No. 2.
 
Grand Canyon took the lead in the match with straight sets singles victories on courts two and four. The Lopes extended their advantage to 3-1 after rallying for a win at No. 1. GCU's Natasha Puehse dropped the first set to UC San Diego's Kelly Leung but won the last two to pick up the point.

Trailing 3-1 in the match, the Tritons evened the score with hard-fought victories on courts five and three. Senior captain Sophie Pearson topped her foe by scores of 6-2, 6-1. After dropping the first set, Triton freshman Grace Gamal won in convincing fashion at No. 3, taking set two 6-4 and the third set 6-1.
 
With the match deadlocked 3-3, all eyes turned to court six, where Vu and GCU's Del Marco engaged in a tight battle. Vu won the first set, 6-4, but dropped a tough 7-5 decision in the second set. In the third and decisive set, Vu battled to a 6-3 win.
 
RESULTS
Doubles
1. Ella Pachl/Kelly Leung (UCSD) vs. Natasha Puehse/Santa Strombacha (GCU), 4-4, dnf
2. Grace Gamal/Naomi Nguyen (UCSD) def. Madeline Lamoreaux/Hebe Toyos (GCU), 6-4
3. Rachel Wagner/Katelyn Vu (UCSD) def. Valentina Del Marco/Dania Deaifi (GCU), 6-0

Order of finish: 3, 2
 
Singles
1. Natasha Puehse (GCU) def. Kelly Leung (UCSD), 5-7, 6-1, 6-0
2. Santa Strombacha (GCU) def. Ella Pachl (UCSD), 6-2, 6-1
3. Grace Gamal (UCSD) def. Dania Deaifi (GCU), 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-1
4. Madeline Lamoreaux (GCU) def. Naomi Nguyen (UCSD), 6-1, 6-2
5. Sophie Pearson (UCSD) def. Hebe Toyos (GCU), 6-2, 6-1
6. Katelyn Vu (UCSD) vs. Valentina Del Marco (GCU), 6-4, 5-7, 6-3

Order of finish: 2, 4, 1, 5, 3, 6
 

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Down 3-1 in Phoenix, victories from Sophie, Grace, and Katelyn put us in the win column!#GoTritons pic.twitter.com/Fzr30VlSuf

— UCSD Women's Tennis (@ucsdwtennis) January 16, 2023

 
QUOTABLE
"Wow, what a match!" said UC San Diego head coach Liz LaPlante. "I couldn't be more proud of the tenacity and grit we showed today to earn a tough road win."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Sunday's victory marked No. 599 in the illustrious career of Tritons' head coach Liz LaPlante.
• Vu's match-clinching win was the second of her UC San Diego career.
• The start of the match was delayed an hour due to rain and the start of singles on courts five and six was further delayed to allow the courts ample time to dry.
• The match marked UC San Diego's first against Grand Canyon since moving to Division I prior to the 2021 season.
• Both teams opened their 2023 campaign with a 7-0 setback at No. 19 Arizona State on Saturday.

 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego's scheduled match Monday morning at the University of Arizona has been rained out. The Tritons will return to La Jolla for their home opener on Saturday when UC San Diego welcomes Nevada to Northview Tennis Courts. First serve is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Jan. 21.
 
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 began a new era in 2020 as a member of The Big West 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 earned 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 Divisions I and II.