LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego won a thrilling 4-3 non-conference match over visiting Utah Sunday morning at Northview Tennis Courts. The win was the Tritons' third straight, and the program's biggest since moving to NCAA Division I.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: UC San Diego 4, Utah 3
Records: UC San Diego 4-4; Utah 5-4
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
For the first time in the last three matches, UC San Diego captured the doubles point. Senior captain Katelyn Vu and junior Grace Gamal were quick 6-0 winners on court three. Grad student Julia Haynes and senior Naomi Nguyen rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win 6-4 at No. 1, claiming the doubles point for the Tritons.
 
Utah took a 2-1 lead with wins on courts five and two. The Tritons leveled the score with Haynes' efficient 6-4, 6-1 win over Utah's Emma Kamper at No. 1. The Utes went back on top, 3-2, after a win at No. 3, meaning the Tritons had to win courts four and six to win the match.
 
At No. 6, Vu won the first set 6-2 and lost the second, 7-5. The Triton senior remained unbeaten this spring with an impressive 6-2 third set win over Samantha Horwood. With the match score tied 3-3, attention turned to court four. UC San Diego freshman Allison Lian clinched the landmark win for the program with her 6-3, 7-6 (3) triumph over Dylan Lolofie.
 
TENNIS MATCH RESULTS
UC San Diego vs. Utah
Feb. 16, 2025 at La Jolla, Calif.
(Northview Tennis Courts)
 
UC San Diego 4, Utah 3
 
Singles competition
1. Julia Haynes (UCSD) def. Emma Kamper (UTAH), 6-4, 6-1
2. Kaila Barksdale (UTAH) def. Kelly Leung (UCSD), 6-3, 6-2
3. Emma Valletta (UTAH) def. Grace Gamal (UCSD), 6-3, 2-6, 6-1
4. Allison Lian (UCSD) def. Dylan Lolofie (UTAH), 6-3, 7-6 (3)
5. Hayley Roberts (UTAH) def. Adriana Tabares (UCSD), 6-4, 6-2
6. Katelyn Vu (UCSD) def. Samantha Horwood (UTAH), 6-2, 5-7, 6-2
 
Doubles competition
1. Julia Haynes/Naomi Nguyen (UCSD) def. Kaila Barksdale/Emma Valletta (UTAH), 6-4
2. Kelly Leung/Adriana Tabares (UCSD) vs. Emma Kamper/Hayley Roberts (UTAH), 4-5, unfinished
3. Grace Gamal/Katelyn Vu (UCSD) def. Samantha Horwood/Dylan Lolofie (UTAH), 6-0
 
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (5,2,1,3,6,4)
 
QUOTABLE

 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Sunday's match was the Tritons' fourth consecutive match to finish in a 4-3 score. UC San Diego has won the last three of those.
• Including fall play, Haynes improved to 19-4 in her first season as a Triton.
• Nguyen has more doubles wins, 35, than any other player in the program's D1 era.
• Vu is 5-0 this spring and now has 26 career singles wins. She's the program's all-time Division I singles wins leader.

 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego resumes Big West play on Feb. 23 when the Tritons visit Cal State Fullerton. First serve is slated for 11 a.m. Sunday morning from Orange County.
 
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.