HONOLULU – UC San Diego sophomore Katelyn Vu was a straight sets winner at No. 6 but the Tritons dropped a 6-1 decision to Hawai'i in a Big West match on Saturday morning at the UH Tennis Complex. The win was Vu's team-leading ninth of the season and her second triumph in as many days on these courts.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: UC San Diego 1, Hawai'i 6
Records: UC San Diego 7-11 (1-5 Big West), Hawai'i 10-6 (7-1 BW)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The UC San Diego tandem of sophomore Naomi Nguyen and senior captain Sophie Pearson continued their winning ways at third doubles, earning a 6-2 win over UH's Anna Kern and Alexis Merrill. The Tritons were looking good to take the doubles point with a win on court one, but the Rainbow Wahine's Rita Pinto and Klara Novakova rallied from down 4-1 to earn a 7-5 win. Hawai'i trailed at the second position as well but won a 7-5 tiebreak to go up 1-0 in the match.
 
In singles play, the Rainbow Wahine won on courts one and five to go up 3-0 in the match. Vu got UC San Diego on the scoreboard with her 6-1, 6-3 win over Kim Madison at No. 6. Hawai'i wrapped up the afternoon with victories on courts two, four and three.
 
Triton freshman Grace Gamal battled at the third position. She dropped the first set to Satuski Takamura, 6-1. Gamal rebounded to take the second set, 7-6 (5), after trailing 5-2. With the match decided, Takamura was a 10-5 winner in a third set super tiebreaker.
 
RESULTS
Doubles
1. Rita Pinto/Klara Novakova (UH) def. Ella Pachl/Kelly Leung (UCSD), 7-5
2. Kim Madison/Satuski Takamura (UH) def. Rachel Wagner/Katelyn Vu (UCSD), 7-6 (5)
3. Naomi Nguyen/Sophie Pearson (UCSD) def. Anna Kern/Alexis Merrill (UH), 6-2

Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
 
Singles
1. Ana Vilcek (UH) def. Kelly Leung (UCSD), 6-2, 6-3
2. Nikola Homolkova (UH) def. Ella Pachl (UCSD), 6-3, 6-3
3. Satuski Takamura (UH) def. Grace Gamal (UCSD), 6-1, 6-7 (5), 10-5
4. Klara Novakova (UH) def. Sophie Pearson (UCSD), 6-1, 6-4
5. Rita Pinto (UH) def. Naomi Nguyen (UCSD), 6-3, 6-1
6. Katelyn Vu (UCSD) def. Madison Kim (UH), 6-1, 6-3

Order of finish: 1, 5, 6, 2, 4, 3
 
QUOTABLE
"Doubles was close, and we played hard," said UC San Diego head coach Liz LaPlante. "In singles, we competed though we didn't get results. Katelyn played really well again today, and I was pleased with Grace's battle in the second set, overcoming eight match points."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• UC San Diego's third doubles team of senior Sophie Pearson and sophomore Naomi Nguyen is now 3-0 since being paired together in mid-March.
• Only one singles match – court three – extended to a third set.
• Hawai'i improved to 3-0 against UC San Diego since the Tritons joined The Big West prior to the 2021 season.

 
UP NEXT
The Tritons are back in La Jolla for a non-conference match on Friday afternoon against Santa Clara. Doubles action between UC San Diego and the Broncos will get underway at 1 p.m. from Northview Tennis Courts.
 
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.