LAS VEGAS – In its first of three matches in Las Vegas this weekend, the UC San Diego men's tennis team came out on the losing end of a 4-1 decision against Idaho State Saturday at the Fertitta Tennis Complex.
 
INSIDE THE MATCH
Final Score: Idaho State 4, UC San Diego 1
Team Records: UC San Diego 3-5; Idaho State 2-3
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bengals got off to a quick start, clinching the doubles point with straight-set wins at No. 2 and No. 3. Playing in the second spot, UC San Diego's Phillip Lan and Pelayo Rodriguez fell to Patrick Kristensen and Wikus Robbertse, 6-1. At No. 3, Hiroki Fujita and Ege Cankus of ISU downed Diogo Tinoco and Eric Silberman, also by a 6-1 count.

Moving on to singles play, Phillip Lan turned in a strong performance at No. 2, picking up the Tritons' lone victory of the day by topping Valentino De Pellegrin in straight sets, 6-1 and 6-2.

In the top singles match-up, Traxler won the second set against Kristensen by a count of 7-5, but that was book ended by a pair of Kristensen wins, 6-4 in the first and 6-2 in the third. 
 
RESULTS
Singles
1. Patrick Kristensen (ISU) def. Daniel Traxler (UC San Diego), 6-4, 5-7, 6-2
2. Phillip Lan (UC San Diego) def. Valentino De Pellegrin (ISU), 6-1, 6-2
3. Andreas Kramer (ISU) def. Diogo Tinoco (UC San Diego), 6-2, 6-4
4. Wikus Robbertse (ISU) def. Jett Cole (UC San Diego), 6-3, 6-1
5. Victor Sklenka (ISU) vs. Pelayo Rodriguez (UC San Diego), unfinished
6. Ege Cankus (ISIU) vs. Charles Qian (UC San Diego), unfinished

Doubles
1. Andreas Kramer/Valentino DePellegrin (ISU) vs. Daniel Traxler/William Lan (UC San Diego), unfinished
2. Patrick Kristensen/Wikus Robbertse (ISU) defeat Pelayo Rodriguez/Phillip Lan (UC San Diego), 6-1
3. Hiroki Fujita/Ege Cankus (ISU) def. Diogo Tinoco/Eric Silberman (UC San Diego), 6-1
 
QUOTABLE FROM HEAD COACH TIMMER WILLING
"We started off a little slow and didn't adjust well to the altitude in doubles. Altitude affected our attitude and our situational awareness left us unprepared. We got down early and fought until the end but it was a little too late to come all the way back. We will find out tomorrow if we learned to come out more competitive against a strong UNLV team. I expect everyone will be better mentally at the start. UNLV is a competitive team and will pounce if they sense that we are unprepared." 
 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego takes on UNLV twice on Sunday. The first match of the doubleheader is scheduled for 10 a.m. with the second slated for a 2 p.m. first serve.

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.