LA JOLLA, Calif.  – UC San Diego captured the doubles point and senior captain Sophie Pearson won for the third time in her last four decisions, but the Tritons dropped a 5-2 decision to visiting CSUN on a dreary Sunday afternoon at Northview Tennis Courts.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: UC San Diego 2, CSUN 5
Records: UC San Diego 9-13 (1-7 BW), CSUN 15-5 (5-3 BW)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego earned the doubles point with wins on courts three and two. Pearson and Naomi Nguyen were 6-4 winners on court three. After the Matadors won 6-4 at first doubles, all eyes turned to court two. In a match that took over an hour, the Tritons' tandem of Katelyn Vu and Rachel Wagner out-lasted Sasha Turchak and Yuliia Zhytelna, 7-6. The back-and-forth match went UC San Diego's way thanks to a 7-5 tiebreaker win.
 
Singles action began on a positive note for the Tritons, with Pearson making quick work of Angela Ho, 6-0, 6-4 on court four. That win gave the Tritons a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
However, the Matadors were winners on the other five singles courts to complete the come-from-behind victory. Four of the five UC San Diego setbacks went to three sets as the Tritons showed great improvement over their prior meetings with the Matadors.
 
RESULTS
Doubles
1. Jolene Coetzee/Angela Ho (CSUN) def. Ella Pachl/Kelly Leung (UCSD), 6-4
2. Rachel Wagner/Katelyn Vu (UCSD) def. Sasha Turchak/Yuliia Zhytelna (CSUN), 7-6 (5)
3. Sophie Pearson/Naomi Nguyen (UCSD) def. Vitoria Solis Urdiales/Cindy Ung (CSUN), 6-4

Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
 
Singles
1. Jolene Coetzee (CSUN) def. Kelly Leung (UCSD), 7-6 (4), 6-4
2. Sasha Turchak (CSUN) def. Ella Pachl (UCSD), 6-4, 4-6, 6-2
3. Yuliia Zhytelna (CSUN) def. Grace Gamal (UCSD), 6-1, 3-6, 6-3
4. Sophie Pearson (UCSD) def. Angela Ho (CSUN), 6-0, 6-4
5. Emma Moratalla Sanz (CSUN) def. Katelyn Vu (UCSD), 0-6, 6-1, 6-3
6. Tallia Harper (CSUN) def. Naomi Nguyen (UCSD), 2-6, 6-1, 6-3
 
Order of finish: 4, 5, 3, 1, 6, 2
 
QUOTABLE
"I'm pleased with our effort against a really tough CSUN team," said UC San Diego head coach Liz LaPlante. "To fight through and earn that doubles point on two was great, and Sophie was so efficient in her match."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Sophomore Katelyn Vu and senior captain Rachel Wagner have won four consecutive doubles matches at No. 2, and they're now 13-7 overall as a tandem this spring.
• Pearson has won 12 career singles matches – second most in the program's Division I era.
• CSUN is 3-0 against UC San Diego since the Tritons began their Division I transition. Sunday marked the first points UC San Diego has scored against the Matadors.

 
UP NEXT
The Tritons wrap up non-conference play on Tuesday when they visit 24th-ranked UCLA. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. with links to live video and live stats on UCSDTritons.com.
 
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.