TUCSON, Ariz. – Returning to the courts for the second time this weekend, the UC San Diego men's tennis team (0-3) dropped their first two road matches of the season on Sunday afternoon as they fell to the #16 Arizona Wildcats (2-0) at the LaNelle Robson Tennis Center. 

INSIDE THE MATCHES
Final Match 2: UC San Diego: 0, Arizona: 6
Final Match 3: UC San Diego: 1, Arizona 6
Records: UC San Diego: 0-3; Arizona: 2-0

HOW IT HAPPENED
Competing in the team's first doubleheader of the season, the Tritons picked up an early victory during doubles action as the pairing of Zach Pellouchoud and Pelayo Rodriguez won their match competing at the second spot in the lineup before the Wildcats won the doubles point. UC San Diego continued to compete hard in singles before ultimately coming up short on the road at #16 Arizona by a 6-0 final. 

Returning to the courts just a few hours later for the second part of the doubleheader, Arizona swept the trio of doubles matches to take the initial point. Earning his first career collegiate victory, Carson Lee picked up the impressive two set win as the true freshman from Fullerton captured the Tritons' lone point in a 6-1 Wildcats win. 

RESULTS
Match One: 
Doubles
1. #11 Colton Smith/Jay Friend (UA) def. Phillip Lan/William Lan (UCSD), 6-3
2. Zach Pellouchoud/Pelayo Rodriguez (UCSD) def. Herman Hoeyeraal/Nick Lagaev (UA), 6-4
3. #36 Sasha Rozin/Gustaf Storm (UA) def. Carson Lee/Diogo Tinoco (UCSD), 6-3

Order of finish: 3, 2, 1

Singles
1. #5 Colton Smith (UA) def. Phillip Lan (UCSD), 6-2, 6-1
2. #34 Jay Friend (UA) def. Diogo Tinoco (UCSD), 6-2, 6-0
3. Nick Lagaev (UA) def. Carson Lee (UCSD), 6-4, 6-2
4. #63 Gustaf Storm (UA) def. Pelayo Rodriguez (UCSD), 6-4, 6-1
5. Herman Hoeyeraa (UA) def. Zach Pellouchoud (UCSD), 6-2, 6-2
6. Casper Christensen (UA) vs. Charles Qian (UCSD), 3-6, 6-2, dnf

Order of finish: 1, 2, 5, 6, 4, 3

Match Two:
Doubles
1. #11 Colton Smith/Jay Friend (UA) def. Zach Pellouchoud/Pelayo Rodriguez (UCSD), 6-3
2. Nick Lagaev/Sasha Rozin (UA) def. Phillip Lan/Diogo Tinoco (UCSD), 6-2
3. Inaki Cabrera-Bello/Gustav Strom (UA) def. William Lan/Carson Lee (UCSD), 6-2

Order of finish: 3, 1, 2

Singles
1. #34 Jay Friend (UA) def. Phillip Lan (UCSD), 6-2, 6-1
2. #63 Gustaf Storm (UA) def. Diogo Tinoco (UCSD), 6-1, 6-1
3. Nick Lagaev (UA) def. Pelayo Rodriguez (UCSD), 6-0, 6-1
4. Carson Lee (UCSD) def. Sasha Rozin (UA), 6-1, 7-5
5. Inaki Cabrera-Bello (UA) def. Charles Qian (UCSD), 6-1, 6-0
6. Casper Christensen (UA) def. Zach Pellouchoud (UCSD), 6-2, 6-2

Order of finish: 1, 2, 5, 3, 6, 4

QUOTABLE
"We had a pretty strong start today in doubles with leads but eventually Arizona was able to take the doubles after a split at the two and three spots," UCSD head men's tennis coach Timmer Willing said. "Pelayo and Zach fought hard to win at number two doubles against a very good team. We competed well but once Arizona got control we lost momentum. This is where we need to learn to keep competing despite losing a few games to give ourselves a chance."

"In our second match we competed better throughout the entire match and again did well in doubles but fell short. During singles play Arizona did very well and played strong. It was great to see Carson Lee get his first college victory against a very good team."

TRITON TIDBIT

• Lee was able to earn his first career victory in singles playing at the fourth spot in the lineup for UCSD's lone point in Tucson on Sunday. 

UP NEXT
The Tritons will be back on their home court next week as they will host the Sacramento State Hornets at the Northview Tennis Courts on Thursday, Jan. 18 with first serve scheduled for 2:30 p.m. PST. 

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.