LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego women's tennis got back in the win column, topping visiting UC Davis, 5-2, Saturday morning at Northview Tennis Courts. The Tritons swept doubles action and won four of six singles matches on the way to the victory, their third in the last four outings.
Sophomore
Naomi Nguyen clinched the Tritons' victory with her comeback win at fifth singles.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: UC San Diego 5, UC Davis 2
Records: UC San Diego 5-4 (1-1 Big West), UC Davis 2-6 (0-2 Big West)
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons' No. 3 tandem of
Katelyn Vu and
Rachel Wagner continued their impressive run. The duo improved to 6-2 on the season with a 6-3 victory on Saturday. UC Davis earned a 6-4 win at first doubles, placing all eyes on the second position. Nguyen and sophomore
Kelly Leung were 6-3 winners, giving UC San Diego the doubles point as well as a 1-0 lead in the match.
In singles action, UC Davis tied the score at 1-1 following a 6-0, 7-5 victory at No. 2. Shortly thereafter, the Tritons regained the lead when Vu was a 6-2, 7-5 winner at No. 6. The Aggies tied the score once again thanks to a 7-5, 6-3 win at first singles.
With the match once again tied, Pearson put UC San Diego back on top with an impressive 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 4. Nguyen continued her strong work at No. 5 for UC San Diego. After dropping the first set to Davis' Kaia Wolfe 6-1, Nguyen rebounded to take the next two, 6-4, 6-3, clinching a Tritons victory.
With the match in hand, the Tritons added another point to their total when freshman
Grace Gamal earned a three-set win at No. 3, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. Yana Gurevich/Arianna Stavropoulos (UCD) def.
Ella Pachl/
Sophie Pearson (UCSD), 6-4
2.
Kelly Leung/
Naomi Nguyen (UCSD) def. Lauren Ko/Olive Maunupau (UCD), 6-3
3.
Rachel Wagner/
Katelyn Vu (UCSD) def. Michelle Zell/Carly Schwartzberg (UCD), 6-3
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles
1. Yana Gurevich (UCD) def.
Kelly Leung (UCSD), 7-5, 3-6
2. Arianna Stavropoulos (UCD) def.
Ella Pachl (UCSD), 6-0, 7-5
3.
Grace Gamal (UCSD) def. Olive Maunupau (UCD), 6-1, 4-6, 6-3
4.
Sophie Pearson (UCSD) def. Michelle Zell (UCD), 6-4, 6-4
5.
Naomi Nguyen (UCSD) def. Kaia Wolfe (UCD), 1-6, 6-4, 6-3
6.
Katelyn Vu (UCSD) def. Carly Schwartzberg (UCD), 6-2, 7-5
Order of finish: 2, 6, 1, 4, 5, 3
QUOTABLE with NAOMI NGUYEN
TRITON TIDBITS
- UC San Diego notched its first win over the Aggies since beginning its transition to Division I for the 2020-21 school year.
- Sophomore Naomi Nguyen has won three straight singles matches at No. 5, and the doubles tandem of Nguyen and sophomore Kelly Leung have won three of their last four.
- Senior captain Sophie Pearson and junior Ella Pachl paired at first doubles for the first time this spring.
- Pearson, sophomore Katelyn Vu, and freshman Grace Gamal each notched their fifth singles win of the season on Saturday, the most among the Tritons.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego hits the road for a match in The Big West on Monday. The Tritons play at Cal State Fullerton with first serve scheduled for Noon.
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.
