LA JOLLA, Calif. – The UC San Diego women's tennis team looks to get back in the win column on Saturday when the Tritons visit San Diego State. UC San Diego (2-2) won two straight matches in come-from-behind fashion before falling to No. 40 Alabama last time out.
The Aztecs are 1-1 this season, most recently knocking off the Crimson Tide a day prior to Alabama's date in La Jolla.
The Tritons have met San Diego State once since beginning the transition to Division I in 2020-21. Last season, the Aztecs earned a 4-0 win over UC San Diego.
DETAILS
Match 5
UC San Diego (2-2) at San Diego State (1-1)
Saturday, Feb. 4 | Noon
Aztec Tennis Center | San Diego
ATTENDING UC SAN DIEGO HOME MATCHES
Attending Triton tennis matches at
Northview Tennis Courts is free, but note that parking permits are required seven days per week at UC San Diego.
ABOUT UC SAN DIEGO
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 2-2
Big West: 0-0
Home: 1-1
Away: 1-1
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-2
Streak: L1
ITA Ranking: NR
ABOUT SAN DIEGO STATE
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 1-1
Mountain West: 0-0
Home: 1-0
Away: 0-1
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 1-1
Streak: W1
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.
LAST TIME OUT
Hoping to keep their win streak alive, UC San Diego women's tennis team faced a tough Alabama squad at Northview Tennis courts on Saturday. The No. 40 Crimson Tide took the doubles point and found early success in singles play on the way to a 6-1 victory over the Tritons. The setback snapped UC San Diego's modest two-match win streak.
CARDIAC KIDS
Early this season, the Tritons are proving they can't be counted out. UC San Diego trailed 3-1 at Grand Canyon (Jan. 15) and vs. Nevada (Jan. 21) but the Tritons came back to win each of those matches, 4-3. Freshman
Grace Gamal at No. 3, senior
Sophie Pearson at the fifth position, and sophomore
Katelyn Vu at sixth were all singles winners in the comebacks.
VU IS UCU ATHLETE OF THE WEEK | JAN. 23
Sophomore
Katelyn Vu earned UCU Athlete of the Week honors for the second time in her career after she helped lead the Tritons to a dramatic, come-from-behind, victory over Nevada (Jan. 21). Playing at No. 6, Vu topped Nevada's Mathilde Sarcelet, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 as the Tritons beat the Wolf Pack, 4-3. In doubles action, Vu and senior
Rachel Wagner were victorious over Nevada's Sarcelet and Wiem Boubaker, 6-3.
KATE'S CLUTCH
Sophomore
Katelyn Vu is developing a reputation for coming through in the clutch. She clinched the Tritons' win at Grand Canyon (Jan. 15) at No. 6 with a three-set win. As a freshman last year, Vu clinched UC San Diego's win over San Diego Christian.
DEVIKA TAKES OVER
Prior to the Tritons' home opener at Northview Tennis Courts (Jan. 21), junior
Devika Pantpratinidhi conducted a Takeover on the team's Instagram account.
PACHL, PEARSON GARNER BIG WEST ACCOLADES
For the second straight season, the UC San Diego women's tennis doubles tandem of sophomore
Ella Pachl and junior
Sophie Pearson were recognized as All-Big West Honorable Mention on Wednesday. Playing primarily at No. 1 singles, Pachl also garnered All-Big West Honorable Mention for her singles play.
Playing exclusively at the No. 1 position, Pachl and Pearson combined for five wins in doubles play in 2022 – including a 3-1 mark against Big West opponents before Pearson suffered a season-ending injury on Feb. 26.
MAKING THE GRADE
The Tritons have continued to excel in the classroom. UC San Diego posted a 3.48 team grade point average during fall quarter. Seniors
Anjni Agrawal and
Tiara Nourishad along with freshman
Cincy Chen each posted a perfect 4.0 GPA.
POSSIBLE STARTERS
Here are the possible Triton starters for Saturday's match based on the team's last match on Saturday vs. No. 40 Alabama:
Doubles
1.
Kelly Leung/
Naomi Nguyen
2.
Ella Pachl/
Grace Gamal
3.
Rachel Wagner/
Katelyn Vu
Singles
1.
Kelly Leung
2.
Ella Pachl
3.
Grace Gamal
4.
Naomi Nguyen
5.
Sophie Pearson
6.
Katelyn Vu
TEAM CAPTAINS
UC San Diego seniors
Sophie Pearson and
Rachel Wagner are this year's team captains.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
This year's Tritons are composed five seniors, three juniors, five sophomores and two freshmen. UC San Diego graduated three from last year's squad.
MEET THE NEWCOMERS
In its third year as an NCAA Division I program in The Big West, the UC San Diego women's tennis team announced its incoming class of two freshmen and a transfer. Freshmen
Cincy Chen and
Grace Gamal, and sophomore
Kelly Leung (Univ. of Washington) are the newest members of the Tritons women's tennis team.
COACH LAPLANTE IN 44TH SEASON
This season marks the 44th of legendary head coach
Liz LaPlante in charge of the UC San Diego women's tennis program. She is the longest-tenured coach on the Triton staff. LaPlante has led UC San Diego to four national championships (1985, 1987, 1989, 1994) and five national runner-up efforts (1982, 1984, 1990, 1995, 2000), all at the NCAA Division III level, as well as seven California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) banners, all in succession between 2004-10, before the league stopped sponsoring tennis. The four national titles are still the third-most in Division III history. LaPlante's all-time dual-match record stands at 600-329. She has recorded winning seasons and posted double-digit victory totals in all but six of her full seasons. Her teams have had 20 or more wins on five occasions.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego wraps up its brief two-match road trip on Wednesday when the Tritons travel to Pomona to face Pomona-Pitzer. First serve against the Sagehens is scheduled for 4 p.m.
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 @ucsdwtennis.
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.
