Women’s Tennis
Competing in its first-ever Big West Championship on Thursday, April 27, No. 5 UC San Diego women’s tennis (11-11, 5-4 Big West) lost to No. 8 UC Davis (11-14, 3-6 Big West), 4-1. The Tritons dropped the doubles point in a tiebreaker, with senior Naomi Nguyen and freshman Allison Lian losing the decisive third pairing, 7-6. Yet, unlike in their last meeting with the Aggies, the Tritons were unable to take the lead in singles play. Senior Adriana Tabares earned the lone Triton point, winning 6-4, 6-4.
The 4-1 scoreline is slightly misleading: Senior Katelyn Vu and graduate student Julia Haynes were both leading by a set and a break when the match ended. However, with five of the seven Tritons who played on Thursday graduating, the program now faces a significant overhaul ahead of next season.
Men’s Tennis
No. 4 UC San Diego men’s tennis (7-14, 3-3 Big West) fared slightly better in its first Big West Championship, beating No. 5 Cal Poly (8-15, 2-4 Big West) 4-2, before losing 4-0 to No. 1 UC Santa Barbara (18-4, 6-0 Big West) in the semifinal.
The Tritons began their postseason campaign with a doubles point loss against the Mustangs. However, straight-set wins by sophomore Carson Lee and freshman David Adamson gave UCSD an early 2-1 lead. Junior Zach Pellouchoud then dispatched his Mustang opponent, 6-2, 2-6, 6-2, before senior Diogo Tinoco clinched a Triton victory with a 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 comeback win.
The Gauchos — ranked No. 34 nationally — proved to be a much tougher opponent. UCSD was dismantled in a 4-0 sweep, with Adamson being the only Triton to win a set. UCSB ultimately lost the tournament, falling to No. 2 UC Irvine on Sunday, 4-3.
Women’s Water Polo
One day after beating No. 5 UC Davis, No. 4 UCSD women’s water polo (17-14, 4-3 Big West) fell to No. 1 Hawai’i (21-4, 7-0 Big West) 11-9 in Saturday’s Big West Championship semifinal. Not only does the defeat mark nine straight losses against the Rainbow Wahine, but the Tritons have also now lost in five consecutive Big West semifinals.
UCSD led wire-to-wire against the Aggies, racing out to a 4-1 lead after the first quarter. Senior attacker Courtney Okumura led the Tritons with three goals and two assists, while UCSD’s New Zealand duo — senior center defender Lucia Doak and freshman utility player Holly Roberts — netted two goals each in the 15-10 win.
Senior utility player Caroline Christl highlighted Saturday’s clash, scoring a sock trick in the losing effort. The Tritons briefly tied the game with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, but Hawai’i ultimately pulled ahead for a hard-fought 11-9 victory. The top-seeded Rainbow Wahine beat No. 2 Long Beach State in Sunday’s final, winning 8-6.
