LA JOLLA, Calif. –  The UC San Diego men's tennis team is set to travel to Hawai'i to compete in three matches against Portland State, Hawai'i, and Hawai'i Pacific.
 
In their first match of the road trip, the Tritons will face off against Portland State who currently hold a slightly better record of 6-9. The following day, UC San Diego will compete in conference play with a match against Hawai'i, currently sitting on a 6-5 overall record having not yet begun Big West play.
 
Before returning to the mainland, the Tritons take on Hawai'i Pacific that although fall in Division II, is currently holding up a 7-4 record overall and sits at No. 21 in ITA DII rankings.

For real-time schedule updates, follow @UCSDmtennis on Twitter.
 
DETAILS
Match 18
UC San Diego (5-12) vs. Portland State (6-9)
Thursday, Mar. 30 | 1 p.m. PDT
Kailua Racquet Club | Honolulu, Hawai'i
 
Match 19
UC San Diego (5-12) vs. Hawai'i (6-5)
Friday, Mar. 31 | 4 p.m. PDT
UH Tennis Complex | Honolulu, Hawai'i
 
Match 20
UC San Diego (5-12) vs. Hawai'i Pacific (7-4)
Saturday, Apr. 1 | 7 p.m. PDT
Kailua Racquet Club | Honolulu, Hawai'i

ABOUT UC SAN DIEGO
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 5-12
Big West: 0-2
Home: 5-6
Away: 0-4
Neutral: 0-2
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-3
Streak: W1
ITA Ranking: NR
 
ABOUT PORTLAND STATE
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 6-9
Big Sky: 1-3
Home: 6-4
Away: 0-4
Neutral: 0-1
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: L1
ITA Ranking: NR
 
ABOUT HAWAI'I
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 6-5
Big West: 0-0
Home: 1-3
Away: 1-1
Neutral: 4-1
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: L2
ITA Ranking: NR
 
ABOUT HAWAI'I PACIFIC
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 7-4
(DII) PacWest: 0-0
Home: 3-0
Away: 3-2
Neutral: 1-2
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: W3
ITA Ranking: 21 (DII)
 
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.
 
CHARLES QIAN NAMED BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Following two singles victories over a pair of home matches last week, sophomore Charles Qian was named the Big West Men's Tennis Player of the Week on Mar. 22.

Against Navy on Mar. 17, Qian defeated Aniketh Ayinala at No. 5. He took the opening set, 6-1, before dropping the second, 4-6, setting up a tiebreaker. He left no doubt, sailing to a 10-2 match-clinching win. The Tritons defeated the Midshipmen convincingly, 6-1.

Facing the seventh-ranked Harvard Crimson on Mar. 13, Qian lost the opening set at No. 5 singles, 3-6, against Perera Masato. He rallied for a 7-6 (7-3) victory in set two, forcing a tiebreaker, which he won 10-8.
 
RODRIGUEZ AND QIAN AWARDED UCU ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HONORS
After quite the performance this past weekend, sophomore Pelayo Rodriguezwas honored with the UCU Athlete of the Week recognition on Jan. 23. Rodriguez was instrumental in two nail-biting UC San Diego victories this past week. 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 Tritons took a 1-0 lead over Navy after winning the doubles point. At No. 2, UC San Diego's William Lan and Eric Silberman dispatched Nicholas Nguyen and Christian Pumpelli by a 6-2 score. In the next match-up to finish, Tritons Pelayo Rodriguez and Daniel Traxler fell in a hard-fought battle against Herrick Legaspi and Gavin Segraves, 7-4 (7-5) at No. 1. In the No. 3 contest, Joseph Teh and Diogo Tinoco came through with a 7-5 victory against Aniketh Ayinala and J.J. Etterbeek to clinch the point for the Tritons.

In singles action, Traxler won in straight sets at No.1, Phillip Lan won in straight sets at No. 2, and Jett Cole won in straight sets at No. 6. Tinoco (No. 3) and Charles Qian (No. 5) were winners for the Tritons as well, out-swinging their opponents to collect victories that went to a third-set tiebreaker. Lan's win proved to be the match clincher for UC San Diego.

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 this Friday's match based off of the Tritons' last home match against Harvard on Mar. 13:
 
Doubles

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

 
Singles

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

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 90-111 record and made five appearances in the NCAA Division II postseason tournament.
 
UP NEXT
The Tritons continue Big West play, returning back to the mainland for an away match against UC Riverside on Apr. 14.
 
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.