The UCSD women’s tennis team defeated No. 23 UC Davis, 7-2, on March 29, remaining the only undefeated team in their nine-team California Collegiate Athletic Association conference. The Tritons, who moved up to No. 16 from No. 21 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division II poll, were able to clinch the conference crown with only one more league match remaining against Cal State San Bernardino, rescheduled for April 16.
“UC Davis is the only other UC school in our conference and they’ve always been tough in the past, so we were mentally prepared to play them,” captain Julie Westerman said.
The Tritons grabbed a 3-0 lead by sweeping the doubles lineup against the Aggies. No. 1 doubles Westerman and Jasmin Dao defeated Nancy Mok and Ally Muller of Davis, 8-5, while No. 2 Tara Siddiqui and Kristin Bronowicki defeated their opponents in a quick 8-2 match. Sisters Allison and Jenna Ishii completed the sweep, defeating Ashley Lehman and Amanda Wise in a hard-fought 8-6 match.
“It’s been a long time since we swept UC Davis in doubles,” UCSD head coach Liz LaPlante said. “We went in with some good strategy and it was a great way to go into the singles matches.”
Dao highlighted the singles matches, with an impressive 7-5, 6-0 defeat over Mok at No. 2 singles. After fighting off a close first-set upset, Dao was able to overwhelm Mok with a quick 6-0 second-set finish. Both Siddiqui at No. 4 and Marissa Hilker at No. 5 singles were able to defeat their opponents in two-set matches. The Tritons’ only two losses came at No. 1 and No. 6 singles.
“We’ve been doing well in the season because we’ve been playing match after match and we’ve been gaining confidence along the way,” Westerman said.
Over spring break, the Tritons played three matches, winning against conference opponents Grand Canyon and Sonoma State and losing to a tough Cornell team. The Tritons are now 12-5 in the season overall.
On April 2, the ladies will gear up for a big tournament in Florida. First up will be the No. 1 BYU-Hawaii, followed up by a face-off against No. 11 Delta State on April 3, and finally playing No. 4 West Florida on April 4.
“The West Florida Invitational will be a great chance to make a good showing for the team. We’ll be facing some very tough teams, but we’re going to give it our best shot and we have nothing to lose,” Christina Jansen said.
The Tritons’ greatest strength this season has come from their strong doubles lineup.
“Our doubles in the past hasn’t always been our biggest strength, but we’ve been doing very well this season and it’s been a huge help,” Jansen said. “When we win in doubles, it takes a lot of pressure off the singles because it gives us an early lead.”
For the first time ever, UCSD will host the CCAA Championship at the Northview Tennis Courts on April 16 and April 17.
