LA JOLLA, Calif. – The UC San Diego women's tennis team snapped a three-game slide with a resounding 5-2 victory over visiting Utah State on Wednesday afternoon at Northview Tennis Courts. The Tritons took the doubles point and won four singles matches on the way to the win.
With the victory, UC San Diego has now matched its combined win total from the program's first two Division I seasons.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: UC San Diego 5, Utah State 2
Records: UC San Diego 6-7, Utah State 3-4
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego earned the doubles point thanks to wins at No. 2 and No. 3. Senior
Rachel Wagner and sophomore
Katelyn Vu improved to 9-2 on the season with their fifth straight victory, a 6-4 decision over Utah State's Lisa Küng and Sidnee Lavatai. The Aggies earned the win at No. 1, but the Tritons secured the point with a 6-4 victory at No. 3 from sophomores
Naomi Nguyen and
Kelly Leung.
When singles play began, UC San Diego got a dominant performance from Leung in the first position, earning a 6-2, 6-2 win over USU's Küng. After a Utah State victory at No. 2 made the score 2-1 Tritons, UC San Diego inched closer to the win. Playing at No. 3, freshman
Grace Gamal won 7-6 (4), 6-2 to give the Tritons a 3-1 advantage on the scoreboard.
The Tritons won the match thanks to Nguyen's three-set triumph at No. 5. She won the first set, 6-4, and, after dropping the second set, 4-6, the Arizona native was impressive in a nifty 6-1 third set win. With the match in-hand, senior captain
Sophie Pearson made the score 5-1 Tritons with her three-set win at fourth singles. Pearson won the first set, 6-4, lost the second, 2-6, and won the third, 7-5.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. Monique Burton/Zeynep Naz Ozturk (USU) def.
Ella Pachl/
Sophie Pearson (UCSD), 6-4
2.
Rachel Wagner/
Katelyn Vu (UCSD) def. Lisa Küng/Sidnee Lavatai (USU), 6-4
3.
Kelly Leung/
Naomi Nguyen (UCSD) def. Annaliese County/Maile Brilhante (USU), 6-4
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles
1.
Kelly Leung (UCSD) def. Lisa Küng (USU), 6-2, 6-2
2. Zeynep Naz Ozturk (USU) def.
Ella Pachl (UCSD), 6-2, 6-3
3.
Grace Gamal (UCSD) def. Monique Burton (USU), 7-6 (4), 6-2
4.
Sophie Pearson (UCSD) def. Magdalena Nuñez Pureco (USU), 6-4, 2-6, 7-5
5.
Naomi Nguyen (UCSD) def. Annaliese County (USU), 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
6. Indya Nespor (USU) def.
Katelyn Vu (UCSD), 6-7 (3), 6-3, 7-5
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3, 5, 4, 6
QUOTABLE with KELLY LEUNG
TRITON TIDBITS
- Senior Rachel Wagner and sophomore Katelyn Vu are now 9-2 as a doubles tandem. Making their first appearance in the No. 2 position, the duo earned their fifth straight win.
- Sophomores Naomi Nguyen and Kelly Leung played third doubles for the first time.
- Nguyen clinched the win with her victory at fifth singles, her second match-clincher this season.
- With singles wins on Wednesday, both senior Sophie Pearson and freshman Grace Gamal moved into a tie with Vu for the team lead with six individual wins.
- The match lasted just over 3.5 hours.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will play a pair of Big West matches this weekend. The Tritons will play at UC Santa Barbara Saturday at 11 a.m. PST. On Sunday, UC San Diego visits Cal Poly at Noon PDT.
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.
