LA JOLLA, Calif. – For the second straight season, the UC San Diego women's tennis team kicks off spring play by traveling east to face No. 25 Arizona State in Tempe – the first of three straight matches in the Phoenix area. The Tritons will play at Grand Canyon Monday morning and wrap up the trip with an early start against Arizona on the GCU campus Tuesday morning.
Last season, the Tritons fell to the Sun Devils before rebounding to upset the 'Lopes (the eventual Western Athletic Conference champions) the following day. The Tritons' match at Arizona was rained out.
DETAILS
Match 1
UC San Diego (0-0) at No. 25 Arizona State (0-0)
Saturday, Jan. 13 | 3 p.m. MT/2 p.m. PST
Whiteman Tennis Center | Tempe, Ariz.
Match 2
UC San Diego (0-0) at Grand Canyon (0-0)
Monday, Jan. 15 | Noon MT/11 a.m. PST
GCU Tennis Facility | Phoenix, Ariz.
Match 3
UC San Diego (0-0) vs. Arizona (0-0)
Tuesday, Jan. 16 | 10 a.m. MT/9 a.m. PST
GCU Tennis Facility | Phoenix, Ariz.
ABOUT UC SAN DIEGO
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 0-0
Big West: 0-0
Home: 0-0
Away: 0-0
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: --
ITA Ranking: NR
ABOUT NO. 25 ARIZONA STATE
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 0-0
Pac-12: 0-0
Home: 0-0
Away: 0-0
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: --
ITA Ranking: 25
ABOUT GRAND CANYON
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 0-0
Western Athletic: 0-0
Home: 0-0
Away: 0-0
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: --
ITA Ranking: NR
ABOUT ARIZONA
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 0-0
Pac-12: 0-0
Home: 0-0
Away: 0-0
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: --
ITA Ranking: NR
LAST TIME OUT
UC San Diego concluded its third NCAA Division I season with a 4-0 setback to Appalachian State in the Universal Tennis NIT Championship in Peachtree City, Ga. The match was the Tritons' lone indoor match the entire season.
LAST TIME VS. ARIZONA STATE (JAN. 14, 2023)
UC San Diego began its third Division I season with a tough test, facing No. 19 Arizona State on the road. The Sun Devils won their second match of the day, dispatching the Tritons by a 7-0 score.
LAST TIME VS. GRAND CANYON (JAN. 15, 2023)
Down by a 3-1 score, UC San Diego won three straight singles matches to complete the comeback, topping host Grand Canyon, 4-3, at the GCU Tennis Facility. Sophomore
Katelyn Vu won 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 at No. 6 to clinch the win for the Tritons. The marathon match lasted more than four hours.
Trailing 3-1 in the match, the Tritons evened the score with hard-fought victories on courts five and three. Senior captain
Sophie Pearson topped her foe by scores of 6-2, 6-1. After dropping the first set, Triton freshman
Grace Gamal won in convincing fashion at No. 3, taking set two 6-4 and the third set 6-1.
With the match deadlocked 3-3, all eyes turned to court six, where Vu and GCU's Del Marco engaged in a tight battle. Vu won the first set, 6-4, but dropped a tough 7-5 decision in the second set. In the third and decisive set, Vu battled to a 6-3 win.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego concludes its four-match road trip on Jan. 20 when the Tritons play at San Diego State. First serve is scheduled for Noon.
WINNING WAYS
As a team, UC San Diego amassed more victories last season (ten) than in its first two Division I seasons combined.
STRATAKOS TAKES OVER
Prior to the Tritons' season home opener in Arizona, senior
Monica Stratakos will take the keys to the team's Instagram account, giving a behind-the-scenes look into life on the road with the Tritons.
MAKING THE GRADE
The Tritons have continued to excel in the classroom. UC San Diego posted a 3.61 team grade point average during fall quarter – tops in the Athletics Department for the third quarter in a row. Grad student
Sophie Pearson, junior
Ania Snissarenko, and sophomore
Cincy Chen all posted a perfect 4.0 GPA.
ITA ACADEMIC RECOGNITION
The UC San Diego women's tennis team earned the 2023 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-Academic Team award, while eight Tritons earned ITA Scholar-Athlete accolades.
Anjni Agrawal,
Cincy Chen,
Grace Gamal,
Kelly Leung,
Naomi Nguyen,
Sophie Pearson,
Ania Snissarenko, and
Katelyn Vu collected ITA Scholar-Athlete honors.
In order to be named an ITA Scholar-Athlete, a student-athlete must have carried a grade point average of at least 3.5 for the 2022-23 academic year. Additionally, in order for a team to garner ITA All-Academic Team honors, a program must have a team grade point average of 3.2 or above for 2022-23.
TRIO GARNERS CSC ACADEMIC AWARD
A trio of Tritons earned accolades for their hard work both in the classroom and on the court. Senior
Sophie Pearson and sophomores
Naomi Nguyen and
Katelyn Vu were all named to the Academic All-District Team as announced by College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA). To be eligible, student-athletes must hold a 3.50 cumulative grade point average and must have completed at least one full academic year at the nominating institution. In addition, they must have competed in at least 50% of the team's matches this spring.
TEAM CAPTAINS
UC San Diego grad student
Sophie Pearson and juniors
Ania Snissarenko and
Katelyn Vu are this year's team captains.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
This year's Tritons are composed one grad student, two seniors, five juniors, two sophomores and one freshman. UC San Diego graduated five from last year's squad.
MEET THE NEWCOMER
In its fourth year as an NCAA Division I program in The Big West, the UC San Diego women's tennis team announced its incoming class of consisting of
Polina Jorniak (Arcadia, Calif.).
COACH BADER TAKES OVER
After two years as an assistant coach with the program,
Sebastian Bader was named the fourth head coach in UC San Diego women's tennis history. His appointment comes following the retirement of Liz LaPlante, who won 607 dual matches and four Division III national titles over 44 seasons as head coach.
ATTENDING UC SAN DIEGO HOME MATCHES
Attending Triton tennis matches at
Northview Tennis Courts is free, but note that parking permits are required seven days per week at UC San Diego.
ON THE MOVE
After 20 seasons playing as an NCAA Division II team, the entire athletics program is in its final 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.
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.
TENNIS TALK ON UC SAN DIEGO ATHLETICS' 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. New episodes of Tritoncast are available each week on the most popular podcasting apps. In addition, each episode can be heard and downloaded on UCSDTritons.com. For individual show information and listen links, follow Tritoncast on X
@Tritoncast.
GET SOCIAL WITH UC SAN DIEGO TENNIS
Keep up with the Tritons all season long on social media through
X and
Instagram. The team's handle is @ucsdwtennis.
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.
