LA JOLLA, Calif. – Back in action for the first of two matches this weekend, the UC San Diego men's tennis team (1-10) dropped a close match to the UNLV Rebels (5-3) on Saturday afternoon by a 4-3 final score at the Northview Tennis Courts.  

INSIDE THE MATCH
Final Match 11: UC San Diego: 3, UNLV: 4
Records: UC San Diego: 1-10 ; UNLV: 5-3

HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego was able to get off to a strong start on Saturday as the doubles pairing of Pelayo Rodriguez and Zach Pellouchoud won their match by a 6-3 score for the first result of the afternoon. The Rebels were then able to win the next two matches as they grabbed the initial doubles point. 
 
Singles play was an all-out battle of attrition with each side trading blows as they played out all six matches that took place. Carson Lee, Diogo Tinoco and Pelayo Rodriguez each picked up victories against their UNLV opponents but the Rebels would win three of their own as they ended up taking the match by a 4-3 final score. 

RESULTS
Doubles
1. Pelayo Rodrigez/Zach Pellouchoud (UCSD) def. Anton Ornberg/Jackson Atherton (UNLV), 6-3
2. Taiyo Hirano/Illia Maksymchuk (UNLV) def. Daniel Traxler/William Lan (UCSD), 6-4
3. Aaron Bailey/Joseph Chen (UNLV) def. Phillip Lan/Carson Lee (UCSD), 7-6

Order of finish: 1, 2, 3

Singles
1. Anton Ornberg (UNLV) def. Phillip Lan (UCSD), 6-2, 6-3
2. Carson Lee (UCSD) def. Joseph Chen (UNLV), 6-4, 6-1
3. Diogo Tinoco (UCSD) def. Dusan Rsovac (UNLV), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
4. Pelayo Rodriguez (UCSD) def. Illia Maksymchuk (UNLV), 7-6, 7-6
5. Aaron Bailey (UNLV) def. Zach Pellouchoud (UCSD), 7-6, 5-7, 6-4
6. Taiyo Hirano (UNLV) def. Charles Qian (UCSD), 6-1, 6-3

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

• "Our guys fought extremely hard and had chances," UC San Diego head coach Timmer Willing said. "We had a battle in the three doubles that ultimately was the decider and we had a couple of match points to get the doubles point but UNLV came up with two big shots to fight them off and clinch it. I'm proud of the guys but extremely disappointed for them for giving it everything and coming up short. We have an opportunity again tomorrow against another tough team in Idaho."

 
TRITON TIDBITS

• With his win this afternoon Carson Lee has now won back-to-back matches and improved his individual record to 4-4 on the season primarily competing in the number two spot in the lineup.
• The doubles pairing of Pelayo Rodriguez and Zach Pellouchoud continued their winning ways as well as they've now won three straight doubles matches as the number one pairing for UC San Diego.

 
UP NEXT
The Tritons will be back to work tomorrow morning as they're set to host the Idaho Vandals at 11:00 a.m. from the 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 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.