LA JOLLA, Calif. – Completing an impressive comeback with stellar play in singles, the UC San Diego men's tennis team earned a 4-3 victory over the #51Indiana Hoosiers on Thursday afternoon.
Today's victory over the Hoosiers is the highest ranked opponent that the Tritons have beaten since transition to Division I.
INSIDE THE MATCH
Final Match 17: UC San Diego: 4, #51Indiana: 3
Records: UC San Diego: 4-13; #51 Indiana: 11-4
HOW IT HAPPENED
The visiting Hoosiers were able to get off to a quick start on Thursday morning as they clinched the doubles points by winning the first two completed matches to take the early lead.
Taking back control of the match after the early deficit,
Charles Qian picked up the win at number six to get UC San Diego on the board while
Pelayo Rodriguez and
Zach Pellouchoud picked up wins to even the score at three. With the final result coming down to one result,
Diogo Tinoco delivered for his team with a three-set victory to give the Tritons their first victory over a ranked opponent this season.
RESULTS
Doubles:
- Ilya Tiraspolsky/Michael Andre (IU) def. Zach Pellouchoud/Pelayo Rodriguez (UCSD), 6-2
- Sam Landau/Carson Haskins (IU) vs. Daniel Traxler/William Lan (UCSD), 4-3, uf
- Facundo Yunis/Luc Boulier (IU) def. Carson Lee/Phillip Lan (UCSD), 6-2
Order of finish: 1, 3
Singles:
- Sam Landau (IU) def. Carson Lee (UCSD), 6-3, 4-6, 6-1
- Facundo Yunis (IU) def. Phillip Lan (UCSD), 6-3, 6-3
- Diogo Tinoco (UCSD) def. Michael Andre (IU), 5-7, 6-3, 6-1
- Pelayo Rodriguez (UCSD) def. Jagger Saylor (IU), 6-2, 7-6(5)
- Zach Pellouchoud (UCSD) def. Ilya Tiraspolsky (IU), 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
- Charles Qian (UCSD) def. Nikola Kolyachev (IU), 6-0, 4-6, 6-2
Order of finish: 2, 6, 4, 5, 1, 3
QUOTABLE
"The guys got off to a slow start in doubles and I felt like we didn't respond well to be ready to compete," UC San Diego head tennis coach
Timmer Willing said. "As singles progressed we started competing hard with some close sets and winning some first sets. Indiana being an experienced team they weren't going away and we kept fighting and ending up stealing the match 4-3 with many singles matches reaching third sets."
TRITON TIDBITS
- UC San Diego earned their first victory over a ranked opponent this season as they improved to 1-1 against ITA Top 75 opponents.
- With his win on Thursday, Qian improved his record on the season to 3-9 overall and 2-4 while playing in the sixth spot in the lineup.
- Climbing back to the .500 mark on the season, Pellouchoud has now earned a 9-9 record for the 2024 season.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will now have a quick turnaround as they're set to host the Boston U Terriers for a doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m. The first part of the doubleheader will be played at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, with the second half beginning around 4:00 p.m. set to take place at the Northview Tennis Courts on the UC San Diego campus.
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.
