RIVERSIDE, Calif. – UC San Diego earned its first road victory of the season with a convincing 5-2 Big West win Sunday morning over UC Riverside at SRC Tennis Courts. The win kept the Tritons unbeaten in Division I against the Highlanders while also snapping a four-match slide.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: UC San Diego 5, UC Riverside 2
Records: UC San Diego 6-14, 2-5 Big West; UC Riverside 4-16, 0-5
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons got off to a strong start, taking the doubles point from the Highlanders with wins on courts one and three. The tandem of Ella Pachl and Grace Gamal were 6-2 winners at No. 1 and Kelly Leung teamed with Katelyn Vu for a 6-3 win at No. 3 to clinch the point.
 
In singles action, UC Riverside evened the match with a 6-1, 6-3 win at No. 4. Triton freshman Polina Jorniak spoiled UCR's Senior Day by topping Riverside senior Sydney Tran, 6-4, 6-1 on court five. Leung extended the visitors' lead to 3-1 with a 6-3, 6-2 win at the third position. Vu sealed the win with her 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 victory at No. 6, and Gamal closed the day with a come-from-behind 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 triumph at the second position.
 

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— UCSD Women's Tennis (@ucsdwtennis) April 7, 2024

TENNIS MATCH RESULTS
UC Riverside vs. UC San Diego
April 7, 2024 at Riverside, Calif.
(SRC Tennis Courts)
 
UC San Diego 5, UC Riverside 2
 
Singles competition
1. Brionna Nguyen (UCR) def. Ella Pachl (UCSD), 5-7, 6-1, 6-3
2. Grace Gamal (UCSD) def. Maya Youssef (UCR), 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
3. Kelly Leung (UCSD) def. Kamya Nair (UCR), 6-3, 6-2
4. Crystal Kim (UCR) vs. Sophie Pearson (UCSD), 6-1, 6-3
5. Polina Jorniak (UCSD) def. Sydney Tran (UCR), 6-4, 6-1
6. Katelyn Vu (UCSD) def. Niki Shahbazi (UCR), 6-1, 4-6, 7-5
 
Doubles competition
1. Grace Gamal/Ella Pachl (UCSD) def. Brionna Nguyen/Kamya Nair (UCR), 6-2
2. Maya Youssef/Crystal Kim (UCR) def. Sophie Pearson/Naomi Nguyen (UCSD), 6-3
3. Katelyn Vu/Kelly Leung (UCSD) def. Sydney Tran/Niki Shahbazi (UCR), 6-3
 
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (4,5,3,6,1,2)
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• The match concludes a stretch of four straight away from home for UC San Diego.
• The Tritons are a perfect 4-0 against UC Riverside as members of The Big West.
• Senior Ella Pachl and sophomore Grace Gamal improved to 3-1 in doubles against Big West foes.
• Gamal leads the Tritons with three singles wins in Big West play this season.

 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego returns to Northview Tennis Courts for its final Big West home match on Friday, when the Tritons host UC Santa Barbara for a 1 p.m. first serve. Admission is free, though parking permits are required on 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 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.