HONOLULU - UC San Diego men's tennis earned an exciting win Saturday to wrap up its weekend in Hawai'i. The Tritons ultimately topped Hawai'i Pacific University after overcoming an early deficit by winning four singles battles to clinch the match.

With the victory, the Tritons earned a 2-1 record during their time in Honolulu.
 
INSIDE THE MATCH
Final Score: UC San Diego 4, Hawai'i Pacific 2
Team Records: UC San Diego 7-13; Hawai'i Pacific 8-5
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The action began with a slow start for the Tritons. Although they were able to stay in the match, their struggles caught up to them quickly. Hawai'i Pacific seized the opportunity and secured two early wins at No. 2 and No. 3 to clinch the doubles point.
 
In the singles matches, Hawai'i Pacific was able to carry its momentum into another early win at No. 1, but the Tritons were determined to make a run of their own to take back the match. Diogo Tinoco (No. 3) was the first to respond, winning his match confidently in two difficult sets. At No. 5, Pelayo Rodiguez also handled his competition well, overcoming a first-set tiebreaker and finishing the match with a 6-4 win in the second set. Rodriguez' victory evened the match at 2-2.
 
After a challenging second set that ended 7-5, Phillip Lan took the win at No. 2, putting the Tritons up 3-2. Then, Jett Cole secured the Triton win with a three-set battle at No. 6. The third set ended 6-2, clinching the team's first road win of the season.
 
RESULTS
Doubles
 
1. Benjamin Loccisano/ Jakub Beran (HPU) vs. Daniel Traxler/Pelayo Rodriguez (UCSD) 6-5, unfinished
2. Robin Sanz/ Riku Ogasawara (HPU) def. William Lan/Eric Silberman (UCSD) 6-4
3. Cheng-Chieh Wang/ Mile Matic (HPU) def. Diogo Tinoco/Joseph Teh (UCSD) 7-5
 
Order of Finish: 2, 3
 
Singles
 
1. Robin Sanz (HPU) def. Daniel Traxler (UCSD) 6-1, 6-1
2. Phillip Lan (UCSD) def. Benjamin Loccisano (HPU) 6-4, 7-5
3. Diogo Tinoco (UCSD) def. Jakub Beran (HPU) 6-3, 7-5
4. Charles Qian (UCSD) vs. Mile Matic (HPU) 3-6, 6-2, 4-1, unfinished
5. Pelayo Rodriguez (UCSD) def. Riku Ogasawara (HPU) 7(7)-6, 6-4
6. Jett Cole (UCSD) def. Bruno Johannes (HPU) 7-5, 2-6, 6-2
 
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 5, 2, 6
 
QUOTE FROM COACH TIMMER WILLING:
"The team came out strong in doubles but fell short as HPU fought hard as expected and took the doubles point. We focused much better in singles and exploited some weaknesses to give us an advantage. HPU is a well-coached and talented team, and this is a very good win for us."
 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego plays a Big West match at UC Riverside on Friday, April 14th.
 
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 Conference 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 Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.