LA JOLLA, Calif. - Following a two-hour rain delay at Northview Tennis Courts on Friday, the No. 27 UC San Diego women's tennis team took on No. 5 Hawaii Pacific but fell by a slim margin of 5-4.

The Tritons drop to 7-4 overall and will host Hawaii Hilo (0-7), beginning at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

UCSD faced a test of endurance during its matches against the Sea Warriors, needing three sets to defeat HPU in three out of four wins in singles play.

Freshman Kyra Scott won the first set of her match against Celina Goetti in No. 2 singles, 6-4, but lost by a score of 6-3 in the second set. In the super tiebreaker, however, Scott pulled out the victory with a 10-8 score. Scott improved to a perfect 10-0 record in No. 2 singles this season with the win.

Freshman Paula Chou also claimed a 10-8 win in the third set of her No. 3 singles match to defeat Karen Ramirez. Battling back from a 6-4 loss in the first set, Chou forced the third set upon winning the second set, 7-6.

In No. 6 singles, the last match to finish, senior Jacquelyn Davis won her three-set thriller against Carrie Shuler with a 10-5 triumph in the third set after dropping the second set, 6-3. Davis took an early lead with a thin 7-6 win in the first set.

Winning in straight sets in No. 4 singles, sophomore Melinda Chu beat Vivian Hansen, 6-3, in the first set and ran away with the second set, 6-0. Chu had the only straight-set win for the Tritons.

Despite earning four wins in singles play compared to the HPU's two, the Sea Warriors swept UCSD in doubles play to clinch the victory.

Senior Melissa Breisacher and Scott came close to taking the No. 1 doubles match but were defeated, 9-7, by Hansen and Magdalena Smejova. Chou and Davis also proved to be a challenge for Lea Kruse-Utermann and Ramirez, but the UCSD pairing in No. 2 doubles was outscored, 8-5. Elsewhere, Chu and junior Tara Vanooteghem suffered an 8-2 loss to Goetti and Ielyzaveta Rybakova in No. 3 doubles.

HPU, which remains undefeated at 6-0 on the year, will return to Northview Tennis Courts to play 10th-ranked West Florida (5-2) on Saturday at 9 a.m.

#5 Hawaii Pacific 5, #27 UC San Diego 4
Mar 08, 2013 at La Jolla, CA (Northview Tennis Courts)

Singles
1. Ielyzaveta Rybakova (HPU) def. Melissa Breisacher (UCSD) 6-4, 6-1
2. Kyra Scott (UCSD) def. Celina Goetti (HPU) 6-4, 3-6, 10-8
3. Paula Chou (UCSD) def. Karen Ramirez (HPU) 4-6, 7-6, 10-8
4. Melinda Chu (UCSD) def. Vivian Hansen (HPU) 6-3, 6-0
5. Magdalena Smejova (HPU) def. Tara Vanooteghem (UCSD) 1-6, 6-2, 6-0
6. Jacquelyn Davis (UCSD) def. Carrie Shuler (HPU) 7-6, 3-6, 10-5

Doubles
1. Vivian Hansen/Magdalena Smejova (HPU) def. Melissa Breisacher/Kyra Scott (UCSD) 9-7
2. Lea Kruse-Utermann/Karen Ramirez (HPU) def. Paula Chou/Jacquelyn Davis (UCSD) 8-5
3. Celina Goetti/Ielyzaveta Rybakova (HPU) def. Melinda Chu/Tara Vanooteghem (UCSD) 8-2

Hawaii Pacific 6-0; National ranking #5; Regional ranking #2
UC San Diego 7-4; National ranking #27; Regional ranking #5
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (4,1,5,2,3,6)

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