LA JOLLA, Calif. – Continuing their momentum from a strong March, the UC San Diego Tritons men's tennis team picked up a nice 5-2 victory over the Portland State Vikings on Wednesday afternoon at the Northview Tennis Courts.
INSIDE THE MATCH
Final Match 20: UC San Diego: 5, Portland St: 2
Records: UC San Diego: 7-13; Portland St: 5-11
HOW IT HAPPENED
Competing on a beautiful, sun-soaked afternoon, the Tritons' double pairing of
Zach Pellouchoud and
Pelayo Rodriguez helped the set the tone right as they picked up a 6-2 victory in the first completed doubles match of the afternoon. The visiting Vikings would go on to win the remaining two matches to pick up the doubles point and the early lead.
Turning the tables in singles play, UC San Diego emerged victorious in five of the six matches as
Phillip Lan,
Pelayo Rodriguez,
Zach Pellouchoud,
Daniel Traxler and
Charles Qian each won their matches against their Portland State opponents. Qian was able to deliver the knockout blow as he won his match in two sets to clinch the Tritons' fourth consecutive win.
RESULTS
Doubles:
- Zach Pellouchoud/Pelayo Rodriguez (UCSD) def. Simon Kuszynski/Andrea Brignacca (PSU), 6-2
- Hembo Mathiasen/Jan Semerak (PSU) def. William Lan/Daniel Traxler (UCSD), 6-2
- Kristian Peev/Andrin Zuellig (PSU) def. Jett Cole/Eric Silberman (UCSD), 6-4
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3
Singles:
- Phillip Lan (UCSD) def. Simon Kuszynski (PSU), 6-1, 6-2
- Jan Semerak (PSU) def. Diogo Tinoco (UCSD), 5-7, 6-4, 2-6
- Pelayo Rodriguez (UCSD) def. Andrea Brignacca (PSU), 2-6, 7-5, 10-4
- Zach Pellouchoud (UCSD) def. Hembo Mathiasen (PSU), 6-3, 6-1
- Daniel Traxler (UCSD) def. Hayden Elliott (PSU), 6-3, 6-4
- Charles Qian (UCSD) def. Andrin Zuelling (PSU), 6-3, 6-4
Order of finish: 5, 1, 4, 6, 2, 3
QUOTABLE
"Our effort was good today after a long week where we didn't have the best practices and dealt with some rain," head men's tennis coach
Timmer Willing said. "It was a little bit nerve racking with Carson and Phil going down and we weren't sure if they were going to be in the lineup today. A lot of credit today goes to Zach, Charles, Phillip and Daniel they were able to get control of their matches early because we knew that first three or four points would be tough against these guys. It was big to get those early sets and it helped propel us to a win over a good opponent."
TRITON TIDBITS
- Today marked Traxler's first singles win of the season as he missed time earlier in the season and has played mostly doubles while ramping back up.
- The duo of Pellachoud and Rodriguez continued their strong overall season as they improved their record to 7-7 on the season and their second in a row.
UP NEXT
The Tritons will be back in action later this week as they're set to host the Air Force Falcons on Friday, April 5 at 1:00 p.m. 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.
