SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – UC San Diego junior Ella Pachl and sophomore Naomi Nguyen both earned singles wins, but the Tritons fell to Cal Poly by a 5-2 score in a Big West women's tennis match Sunday afternoon at San Luis Obispo Country Club.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: UC San Diego 2, Cal Poly 5
Records: UC San Diego 6-9 (1-4 Big West), Cal Poly 5-5 (3-1 BW)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Host Cal Poly got off to a strong start, sweeping doubles action. The Mustangs secured the point with a 6-1 win at No. 3 and a 6-3 victory on court one. Playing at the second position, UC San Diego senior Rachel Wagner and sophomore Katelyn Vu fought hard before succumbing, 7-6 (3).
 
Cal Poly got a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 3, a 6-2, 6-1 victory at fourth singles, and a 6-3, 6-4 triumph at No. 6 to clinch the win.
 
Nguyen got the Tritons on the scoreboard with an impressive 7-5, 6-3 win over Alexandra Ozerets at the fifth position – her second win in the last three matches. Pachl got back in the win column for UC San Diego with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Melissa LaMette on court two.
 
RESULTS
Doubles
1. Delanie Dunkle/Peyton Dunkle (CP) def. Ella Pachl/Sophie Pearson (UCSD), 6-3
2. Kennedy Buntrock/Kim Bhunu (CP) def. Rachel Wagner/Katelyn Vu (UCSD), 7-6 (3)
3. Melissa LeMette/Alexandra Ozerets (CP) def. Kelly Leung/Naomi Nguyen (UCSD), 6-1

Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
 
Singles
1. Kim Bhunu (CP) def. Kelly Leung (UCSD), 6-4, 6-4
2. Ella Pachl (UCSD) def. Melissa LeMette (CP), 7-5, 6-3
3. Delanie Dunkle (CP) def. Grace Gamal (UCSD), 6-0, 6-0
4. Peyton Dunkle (CP) def. Sophie Pearson (UCSD), 6-2, 6-1
5. Naomi Nguyen (UCSD) def. Alexandra Ozerets (CP), 7-5, 6-3
6. Kennedy Buntrock (CP) def. Katelyn Vu (UCSD), 6-3, 6-4

Order of finish: 3, 4, 6, 1, 5, 2
 
QUOTABLE
"I'm proud of the effort and improvement we showed today," said UC San Diego head coach Liz LaPlante. "Those were great wins for Naomi and Ella."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Sophomore Naomi Nguyen improved to 3-2 in Big West singles action with Sunday's win on court five. Her three Big West wins are tied for most on the team (sophomore Katelyn Vu).
• The Tritons fell to 0-3 against the Mustangs since joining The Big West in 2020-21.
• The match was relocated to San Luis Obispo Country Club on Sunday morning due to wet courts at Cal Poly's Mustang Tennis Complex.

Pre-match stretch while we wait out the weather delay! #GoTritons pic.twitter.com/1VMebdPKy7

— UCSD Women's Tennis (@ucsdwtennis) March 12, 2023

 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego hosts San Francisco on Thursday in a non-conference match. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. from Northview Tennis Courts in La Jolla.
 
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.