In their season opener, the Tritons took a confident 6–3 win against West Region opponent Azusa Pacific, last Saturday, Feb. 2.

Starting at No. 1 doubles was senior Melissa Breisacher with new doubles partner freshman Kyra Scott. The set started with aggressive play from the Tritons, as both Scott and Breisacher were very active at the net. The Azusa opponents proved an even match, as the score climbed to 5–6, with UCSD down a game. Scott consistently held her serve, while her partner Breisacher struggled with her own. But at 5–6, the duo broke Azusa’s, allowing the pair to take the lead at 7–6. However untimely, unforced errors ultimately cost the Tritons the match, falling to the Cougars 9–8 in that first set.

The No. 2 doubles, played by senior Jacquelyn Davis and freshman Paula Chou, prevailed against Azusa with an easy 8–2 win on the strength of their baseline game. The No. 3 doubles team, played by junior Tara Vanooteghem and sophomore Melinda Chu, dominated their opponents with a hard-earned 8–3 win.

In the singles component, Breisacher, playing in the No. 1 spot, fought hard but fell short of a win. No. 2 Scott, a freshman out of Irvine, showed much more confidence in her singles game than in her doubles bout. Scott earned a well-deserved victory, winning two sets to zero. No. 4 Chou, No. 5 Wilke and No. 6 Davis all came away with wins. UCSD won with a final team score of 6–3.

“I think we all did really well for our first match, especially because we have a lot of freshmen; it was good that we didn’t really get the nerves too much,” Scott said.

Picking up a win to start the season, after finishing last year with a lackluster 8–15 overall record, bodes well for the Tritons going into 2013.

“It was a really great win for us, I don’t know that we’ve ever beaten this team before, so to come out and beat them 6–3 and play the way we did was really great,” LaPlante said. “We haven’t started out the season this well in a while.”

LaPlante concedes the Tritons need to work on their doubles game, especially at the No. 1 spot, where Scott replaces Davis alongside Breisacher.

“Doubles is always something we need to work on, and number one doubles hasn’t had a long time to work together, so that’s something we need to work on in practice, but it’s a work in progress for everyone,” LaPlante said.

With a confident win under its belt, the lady’s tennis team could prove to be tough competition in the matches ahead. The Tritons will face local opponent Point Loma Nazarene this Tuesday, Feb. 5, before they head out to the Grand Canyon Invite Feb. 16 to Feb.18.