LA JOLLA, Calif. – The UC San Diego men's tennis team hits the road this week for their third weekend of matches in the spring season. Starting Saturday afternoon, the Tritons will take on Pacific at the Eve Zimmerman Tennis Center in Stockton, Calif. followed by Santa Clara Sunday morning at the Degheri Tennis Center.
 
Pacific will kick off their 2023 spring season against the Tritons meanwhile Santa Clara began season play the previous weekend, coming off a 4-0 loss against Stanford. This will be UC San Diego's sixth and seventh outing of 2023, seeming to have an early start among their competitors.
 
For real-time schedule updates, follow @UCSDmtennis on Twitter.
 
DETAILS
Match 6
UC San Diego (3-2) vs. Pacific (0-0)
Saturday, Jan. 28 | 1:00 p.m. PST
Eve Zimmerman Tennis Center | Stockton, Calif.
 
Match 7
UC San Diego (3-2) vs. Santa Clara (0-1)
Sunday, Jan. 29 | 10:00 a.m. PST
Degheri Tennis Center | Santa Clara, Calif.

ABOUT UC SAN DIEGO
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 3-2
Big West: 0-0
Home: 3-2
Away: 0-0
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: W2
ITA Ranking: NR
 
ABOUT PACIFIC
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 0-0
West Coast Conference: 0-0
Home: 0-0
Away: 0-0
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: --
ITA Ranking: NR
 
ABOUT SANTA CLARA
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 0-1
West Coast Conference: 0-0
Home: 0-0
Away: 0-1
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: L1
ITA Ranking: NR
 
ON THE MOVE
After 20 seasons playing as an NCAA Division II team, the entire athletics program is in its third year of a four-year transition to NCAA Division I, culminating in full DI status as a member of The Big West for the 2024-25 academic year. At that time, all sports will be eligible for conference and NCAA postseason play.

PELAYO RODRIGUEZ NAMED BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK
UC San Diego sophomore Pelayo Rodriguez has been named the Big West Men's Tennis Player of the Week as the conference announced its awards Tuesday. Rodriguez was instrumental in two nail-biting UC San Diego victories this past week with Friday's match against Sacramento state and Sunday's win against Loyola Marymount.

RODRIGUEZ AND QIAN AWARDED UCU ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HONORS
After quite the performance this past weekend, sophomore Pelayo Rodriguez was honored with the UCU Athlete of the Week recognition on Jan. 23. With Sunday's match against Loyola Marymount tied 3-3, Rodriguez battled for a win at No. 5 singles to clinch a 4-3 victory for the Tritons.

The week before, sophomore Charles Qian was awarded the same honors following his strong start to the season.

LAST TIME OUT
The UC San Diego men's tennis team wrapped up its stretch of home matches with a 4-3 win against both Sacramento State and Loyola Marymount. 
 
Although UC San Diego lost the doubles point and the first two singles matches to finish to find itself down 3-0 against Sacramento, the Tritons turned it up a notch and won the remaining four singles tilts. Senior Phillip Lan won at No. 2 in straight sets, junior Jett Cole was victorious at No. 4, sophomore Pelayo Rodriguez won at No. 5, and sophomore Charles Qian took his No. 6 match in straight sets.
 
Loyola Marymount put up a tough fight, but the Tritons finished with their first doubles point of the season. In doubles, the Tritons found themselves down after dropping the No. 2 match-up. However, the team rallied for two-straight victories. Seniors Daniel Traxler and William Lan took their first win of the season, 6-4, at No. 1. Junior Eric Silberman and freshman Diogo Tinoco earned a 7-5 win over their opponents at No. 3, securing the doubles point for UC San Diego. The Tritons finished three of their singles on top and took the 4-3 win against Loyola Marymount.
 
PAIR EARNS ALL-BIG WEST HONORABLE MENTION
For the second season in a row, UC San Diego's Daniel Traxler earned All-Big West Conference men's tennis honors, joined for the first time by his doubles partner, William Lan. The pair were named All-Big West Honorable Mention in doubles following the 2022 season. Traxler and Lan joined forces late in the season, splitting time between first and second doubles for the Tritons. They won in their debut together on March 23, one of four victories on the season. The duo's best result came on the road against then-no. 59 Cal Poly, when they took a 6-4 win on court one to help UC San Diego secure the doubles point.
 
MAKING THE GRADE
The Tritons have continued to excel in the classroom. UC San Diego posted a 3.33 team grade point average during fall quarter while sophomore Sanjith Devineni posted a 4.0.

POSSIBLE STARTERS
Here are the possible Triton starters for Saturday's match based on the team's last match on Jan. 22 against Loyola Marymount:
 
Doubles

1. Daniel Traxler/William Lan
2. Pelayo Rodriguez/Phillip Lan
3. Eric Silberman/Diogo Tinoco

 
Singles

1. Daniel Traxler
2. Phillip Lan
3. Diogo Tinoco
4. Jett Cole
5. Pelayo Rodriguez
6. Charles Qian

ROSTER BREAKDOWN
This year's Tritons are composed of a pair of seniors, three juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen. Last year's squad boasted two graduating seniors.
 
MEET THE NEWCOMERS
Entering its third year as an NCAA Division I program in The Big West, the UC San Diego men's tennis team announced its incoming class of two freshmen. Sahil Savasere and Diogo Tinoco are the newest members of the Tritons men's tennis team.
 
COACH WILLING'S 11TH SEASON
Head coach Timmer Willing is in his 11th season at the helm of UC San Diego men's tennis and 22nd with the program after previously serving as an assistant coach with the program for 11 years. During his tenure, the Tritons have compiled an 91-103 record and made five appearances in the NCAA Division II postseason tournament.
 
UP NEXT
The Tritons continue action back in San Diego next Saturday, Feb.4, against hometown competitor San Diego State.
 
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 @ucsdmtennis.
 
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 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 NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.