TUCSON, Ariz. – UC San Diego battled in its spring opener, before falling to Arizona, 7-0, at LaNelle Robson Tennis Center Friday afternoon. Senior captain Katelyn Vu and junior Grace Gamal teamed up for a doubles win for the Tritons in their season opener.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Arizona 7, UC San Diego 0
Records: UC San Diego 0-1; Arizona, 2-0
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Arizona claimed the doubles point with wins on courts one and two. After the Wildcats were 6-1 winners at No. 1, Vu and Gamal earned a 6-4 victory on court three to even up the doubles action. Arizona claimed the point with a 6-1 win at No. 2, taking a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
In singles action, the Wildcats earned wins on courts two, five and four to clinch the victory. Top Triton performers Friday were sophomore Polina Jorniak and freshman Allison Lian. Playing at No. 3, Jorniak won her first set, 7-5, over UA's Teja Tirunelveli. Tirunelveli captured set two, and won the super tiebreak, 10-6.
 
Playing in her first match as a Triton, Lian won her first set, 6-3, over UA's Karissa Ghigiarelli at No. 6. In the third set super tiebreak, Ghigiarelli was a 10-5 winner.
 
Arizona also earned a straight sets win at No. 1.
 
TENNIS MATCH RESULTS
Arizona vs. UC San Diego
Jan. 17, 2025 at Tucson, Ariz.
(LaNelle Robson Tennis Center)
 
Arizona 7, UC San Diego 0
 
Singles competition
1. Martyna Ostrzygalo (ARIZ) def. Julia Haynes (UCSD), 6-3, 6-3
2. Josie Usereau (ARIZ) def. Grace Gamal (UCSD), 6-2, 6-4
3. Teja Tirunelveli (ARIZ) def. Polina Jorniak (UCSD), 5-7, 7-6 (1), 10-6
4. Danielle Tuhten (ARIZ) def. Naomi Nguyen (UCSD), 6-4, 7-5
5. Tanvi Narendran (ARIZ) def. Adriana Tabares (UCSD). 6-1, 6-4
6. Karissa Ghigiarelli (ARIZ) def. Allison Lian (UCSD), 3-6, 7-5, 10-5
 
Doubles competition
1. Martyna Ostrzygalo/Josie Usereau (ARIZ) def. Julia Haynes/Naomi Nguyen (UCSD), 6-1
2. Danielle Tuhten/Zoya Chulak (ARIZ) def. Kelly Leung/Adriana Tabares (UCSD), 6-1
3. Grace Gamal/Katelyn Vu (UCSD) def. Karissa Ghigiarelli/Tanvi Narendran (ARIZ), 6-4
 
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (2,5,4,1,6,3)
 
QUOTABLE
"We were competitive across the lineup against a top opponent who was dialed in more when it mattered," said UC San Diego head coach Sebastian Bader. "We came in with the right mindset and we'll continue to improve."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• The Tritons began their season in the Grand Canyon State for the third consecutive campaign.
• UC San Diego begins it season with three matches over three days in the desert.
• Newcomers Julia Haynes and Allison Lian made their Triton debuts Friday.

 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego continues play in Arizona on Saturday, traveling north to Tempe to visit Arizona State. First serve is scheduled for 4 p.m. MT/3 p.m. PST with a link to live stats on UCSDTritons.com.
 
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.