Tritons Compete at San Diego State Tournament
Over the weekend of April 8-9th, UCSD Club Tennis had 3 teams compete in the annual tournament at SDSU. For A team, the first match of the tournament took place against SDSU C. During men's singles, Trey V. showed off his signature baseline-drop shot-passing shot combo and had his opponent on the run for the majority of the set. For B team, the first match of the weekend was against Pepperdine A. In men's singles, Sebastian S. unleashed his 110mph serves, many of which were aces, to win against his opponent. For C team, the first match of the weekend was against CSUN. During this round, mixed doubles team Josh T. and Dianah Z. took advantage of miscommunications between their opponents and openings in the court to win the match 6-0.
In the second round, A team faced a historically strong team- UCR A. During this match, doubles duo Anson W. and Aaron C. displayed incredible court coverage and worked together to construct smart plays. Additionally, mixed doubles player Jey V. asserted her dominance on court with her heavy kick-spin serve and aggressive coverage at the net. During the second round, B team faced NAU A- a team that UCSD has not played in recent history. During this match, singles player Dany G. captured the attention of dozens of players and fans with her aggressive side-to-side baseline plays and down the line winners. In men's doubles, Barry L. and Marcus V. also captured the attention of spectators with their incredible coverage of the court and ability to spot gaps in the defensive strategy of their opponents. For C team, the second round involved playing players from Cal Poly SLO- the second best team in the country for 2022-23. During this match, singles player Chris L. left it all on the court from his 110mph serves to his highly aggressive and fast paced baseline game. Likewise, singles player Cailin L. took the opportunity to showcase her ability to place the ball in every corner of the court- the baseline corners, an angled ball towards the deuce service line, and drop shots that forced her opponent to scramble to make it to the net in time. For both matches, it was clear to spectators that UCSD C was giving some of the best players in the country a run for their money.
In the last match of the pool stage, UCSD A faced SDSU D. In singles, Tanya N. used her consistency and determination to tire out her opponent and force errors- allowing her to pull out a significant win for the team. Meanwhile, UCSD B faced SDSU A. Mixed doubles players Bre F. and Barry L. drew the attention of several courts with their fast-paced rallies, dominant service games, and down the line winners that cemented an important team win. UCSD C finished out this round by playing SDSU B- a tough match to determine which of the two teams would play in Gold Bracket the next day. Men's doubles players Josh T. and Dennis D. stepped it up in their very close match by working together to use the net to their advantage. Spectators cheered on as they were able to force errors and hit winners throughout the match. In mixed doubles, Dianah Z. and Chris L. gave everything they had physically and mentally to the match but were defeated by a 1 game margin.
On Sunday, it was revealed that all three teams were in the Silver bracket together with Pepperdine A. As a result, in the first round UCSD A played against UCSD C. One highlight of this round was the singles match between Daniel D.M. and Josh T. where both players employed fast-paced baseline shots to run each other off the court. The match was extremely close and a crowd favorite of the weekend. Additionally, the women's doubles match between Meghana H. and Jey V. & Dianah Z. and Nika M. was a crowd favorite because it was a close battle between teams with very similar tennis styles. Both Jey and Nika share a dominant baseline style while Meghana and Dianah rely on strategic placement at the net. While the UCSD A vs. UCSD C match was going on, UCSD B was facing Pepperdine for the second time. This time around, mixed team Sebastian S. and Angelina Y. had the most watched match as the pair used aggressive volley plays to come back from a 0-4 deficit and win.
In the last round of play on Sunday, UCSD A faced UCSD B in the Silver Bracket finals while UCSD C faced Pepperdine in the Silver Bracket consolation finals. For the UCSD A vs. UCSD B match, singles players Matthew P. and Anson W. had one of the best matches of the weekend. This match showcased both player's mastery of baseline play as every point ended with a ball being slightly out at the baseline or a winner. Additionally, doubles players Meghana H. and Jey V. played Vivian L. and Angelina Y. in another highlight match. Both teams worked seamlessly to construct points that played to their respective strengths- producing some of the best strategic plays of the tournament and an incredibly close match score (6-5). In the meantime, C team singles player Cailin L. played one of the best matches of the day despite having played almost double the number of matches as her opponent. Highlights of the match included Cailin's signature down the line shots and unexpected drop shots. In men's doubles, Dennis D. and Josh T. once again used their superior court coverage and strategic net plays to score point after point on their opponents. At the end of this round, UCSD A won Silver Bracket, UCSD B placed second, and UCSD C placed third- an incredible achievement for three teams that played the most matches per player of any school in the tournament.