LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego dropped the doubles point but won on four singles courts to rally for a dramatic 4-3 Big West victory over UC Irvine Saturday afternoon at Northview Tennis Courts. The match lasted more than three and a half hours, but the wait was worth it for the Tritons, who won their third straight.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: UC San Diego 4, UC Irvine 3
Records: UCSD 5-10, 1-3 Big West; UC Irvine 4-9, 1-3 Big West
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC Irvine clinched the doubles point with 6-3 wins at the first and second positions. Triton grad student Sophie Pearson and junior Naomi Nguyen led 4-3 at No. 3 when the Anteaters won the point and doubles play was abandoned.
 
In singles play, sophomore Grace Gamal got the Tritons on the board and evened the match with her 6-4, 6-3 win over UCI's Amanda Perez at the third position. The Anteaters regained the lead with a win on court five. Trailing 2-1, UC San Diego once again leveled the score thanks to freshman Polina Jorniak's 6-4, 6-3 win over UCI's Larissa Teramura at No. 6. With the score tied at 2, the Tritons inched closer to victory because of Pearson's 6-2, 7-6 (2) win at No. 4. UCI tied the match at 3-3 with a hard-fought, three-set match at No. 1.
 
From there, all eyes turned to court two for the deciding point. UC Irvine's Asha Gidwani took the first set, 7-6 (2) and Triton junior Kelly Leung responded with a 6-4 win in the second set. In the decisive final set, Leung was a 6-2 winner to send UC San Diego into the win column for the third time in four days.
 
TENNIS MATCH RESULTS
UC San Diego vs. UC Irvine
March 9, 2024 at La Jolla, Calif.
(Northview Tennis Courts)
 
UC San Diego 4, UC Irvine 3
 
Singles competition
1. Jenna Schlatter (UCI) def. Ella Pachl (UCSD), 6-0 3-6, 6-4
2. Kelly Leung (UCSD) def. Asha Gidwani (UCI), 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-2
3. Grace Gamal (UCSD) def. Amanda Perez (UCI), 6-4, 6-3
4. Sophie Pearson (UCSD) def. Carolyna Fowler (UCI), 6-2, 7-6 (2)
5. Haily Huynh (UCI) def. Katelyn Vu (UCSD), 7-5, 6-1
6. Polina Jorniak (UCSD) def. Larissa Teramura (UCI), 6-4, 6-3
 
Doubles competition
1. Emily Fowler/Kayla Meraz (UCI) def. Grace Gamal/Ella Pachl (UCSD), 6-3
2. Carolyna Fowler/Asha Gidwani (UCI) def. Cincy Chen/Kelly Leung (UCSD), 6-3
3. Sophie Pearson/Naomi Nguyen (UCSD) vs. Larissa Teramura/Jenna Schlatter (UCI), 4-3, unfinished
 
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (3,5,6,4,1,2)
 
QUOTABLE
"I'm so happy for this group to get the win today; I was very impressed with everyone's performance," said UC San Diego head coach Sebastian Bader. "That was a hard-fought match with both teams giving it their all. We were outplayed in doubles but hung around and found a way to get some momentum when Grace tied it up. I was proud of Ella Pachl's fight in the second and third sets [at No. 1] which allowed Kelly to work herself back into the match – where she really stepped up in that decisive third set. I'm so happy for them and hopefully it's a match the team will remember for a while and can build on."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Sophie Pearson's win at No. 4 was her team-leading fifth singles victory this season.
• All five UC San Diego wins this season have come at home – including three straight this week.
• Time of the match was 3:35.
• The Tritons are now 2-2 against the Anteaters as Big West foes including a perfect 2-0 in La Jolla.

 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego continues Big West play on Friday when the Tritons welcome Cal Poly to La Jolla – the Tritons' seventh consecutive match at home. First serve is slated for 1 p.m. PDT from Northview Tennis Courts. Admission is free, but parking permits are required.
 
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.