IRVINE, Calif. – The Anteaters battled tough against the Tritons but fell in a tight 4-3 match on Thursday morning.
 
UC Irvine (7-7, 1-3 Big West) suffered a 6-1 setback on court three in doubles before the duo of Carolyna Fowler and Yen Nhi Huynh evened it up 1-1 with their 6-1 rout of Adriana Tabares and Katelyn Vu on court two. In the deciding game, UC San Diego (9-7, 4-2 Big West) picked up the doubles point with a 6-3 win on court one.
 
The Tritons clinched the match with three straight singles victories with wins at No. 1 (6-1, 6-1), No. 3 (6-2, 6-2), and No. 4 (2-6, 6-2, 6-2). The Anteaters countered with victories in the remaining three individual matches. Maily Huynh won her third consecutive match at No. 6, taking down Kaitlyn Vu 7-6 (6-0), 6-3. Just one court higher at the No. 5 spot, Haily Huynh posted identical scores (6-3, 6-3). Fowler closed out the contest with a three-set thriller at No. 2 with a 6-3, 0-6, 6-2 defeat of Kelly Leung.

FROM THE PLAYERS
"It was a battle out there today. I stuck to my game plan in the first set, but I lost my way in the second. I'm really proud of how I was able to reset mentally and come out strong in the third. Coach Liz helped me reset with strong pieces of advice throughout the match and I was able to play confidently. I also couldn't be prouder of Yen—we played aggressive, had each other's backs, and brought great energy. And as a whole team, we fought hard. Even though we fell short in the end, the effort and heart we showed today make me excited for what's ahead. Go 'Eaters!" –Carolyna Fowler
 
SINGLES RESULTS
#57 Julia Haynes (UCSD) def. Kayla Meraz (UCI) 6-1, 6-1
Carolyna Fowler (UCI) def. Kelly Leung (UCSD) 6-3, 0-6, 6-2
Allison Lian (UCSD) def. Amanda Perez (UCI) 6-2, 6-2
Grace Gamal (UCSD) def. Yen Nhi Huynh (UCI) 2-6, 6-2, 6-2
Haily Huynh (UCI) def. Adriana Tabares (UCSD) 6-3, 6-3
Maily Huynh (UCI) def. Katelyn Vu (UCSD) 7-6 (6-0), 6-3
 
DOUBLES RESULTS
Julia Haynes/Kelly Leung (UCSD) def. Haily Huynh/Kayla Meraz (UCI) 6-3
Carolyna Fowler/Yen Nhi Huynh (UCI) def. Adriana Tabares/Katelyn Vu (UCSD) 6-1
Allison Lian/Naomi Nguyen (UCSD) def. Asha Gidwani/Nour Khayat (UCI) 6-1

EXHIBITION SINGLES
Bella Pitchford (UCI) def. Athena Wardy (UCSD) 6-3, 6-2
Kamya Nair (UCSD) def. Lindsay Kim (UCI) 6-1, one set
Kamya Nair (UCSD) def. Nour Khayat (UCI) 6-4, one set

EXHIBITION DOUBLES
Kamya Nair/Athena Wardy (UCSD) vs. Amanda Perez/Maily Huynh (UCI) 6-5
 
UP NEXT
UCI quickly turns around for a 3 p.m. match with Stanton.