UC San Diego Secures Three-Peat at 2026
Tennis On Campus Sectionals

The 2026 Southern California Tennis on Campus (TOC) Sectionals returned to the Barnes Tennis Center for the second consecutive year over Presidents’ Day Weekend on February 14-15. Fifteen universities competed in San Diego, many fielding multiple teams in pursuit of a spot at the 2026 USTA Tennis On Campus National Championships. 

“One of my favorite things about TOC Sectionals this year was getting a brand new team, the University of Redlands, to participate for the first time,” Manager of Adult Competitive Tennis Anthony Shirley said. “The team came together in under four months time to make their first ever appearance in Sectionals. Amidst the repeat schools we support each year, it made me very happy to welcome their group into the mix and we hope we can continue to support them.” 

The tournament followed the coed World TeamTennis format, combining women’s and men’s singles, women’s and men’s doubles, and mixed doubles into one cumulative team score. The Sectionals champion, along with three additional Gold bracket semifinalists, earned automatic berths to Nationals. The event will take place April 16-18 at Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth and will feature 64 collegiate club teams from across the country.

Sectional competition began Saturday with 32 teams divided into eight round-robin pools, each aiming to advance into Sunday’s Gold bracket. Earning undefeated records in pool play were UCSD’s A team, UCI’s A team, UCLA’s A team, USC’s A team, UCSB’s A team, SDSU’s A team, UCR’s A team, and Cal Poly SLO’s A team. 

University of California San Diego (UCSD) 

UCSD’s A team cemented its status as one of the most dominant programs in recent SoCal TOC history, capturing its third consecutive Sectionals title Sunday night. The three-peat marks the first by a SoCal university since UCLA won in 2020, 2022, and 2023 (no tournament was held in 2021 due to the pandemic). The victory also leaves UCSD and UCLA tied with three Sectionals titles each this decade.

UCSD returned all but one player from the last year’s lineup, bringing back a veteran core that fueled its chemistry and success. Playoff contributors included Jared Admiraal, Allyson Chen, Alyson Hirota, Kiichi Ishida, Weng Si Leong, Logan Li, Lesa Ritchie, Rachel Sherrill, and Ethan Vo. Admiraal, Chen, Hirota, Li, Ritchie, Sherrill, and Vo were also key members of the  2024 championship team.

The Tritons opened Saturday in a pool with UCI B, USC B, and UCSB B, where they quickly established themselves, defeating UCI B 26-17, USC B 30-11, and UCSB B 29-11 while winning 12 of the 15 sets.

In the Gold bracket quarterfinals, UCSD defeated  Cal Poly SLO A in the quarterfinals with a Nationals berth on the line. In a hard-fought contest, the Tritons secured a convincing 27-17 victory behind wins in women’s doubles, men’s doubles, men’s singles, and mixed doubles. They carried that momentum into the semifinals against UCI A, delivering another dominant performance with a 30-13 win after claiming victories across all five lines.

The championship match featured a familiar showdown against UCLA A, setting up a rematch of the 2024 final. The Bruins struck first with a 6-3 win in women’s doubles, but UCSD responded immediately with a matching 6-3 victory in men’s doubles to even the score at 12-12. UCLA briefly regained momentum with a 6-2 win in men’s singles before the Tritons answered back, posting a commanding 6-0 victory in women’s singles to take a two-game lead heading into mixed doubles.

Once again, the pairing of Ishida and Sherrill delivered the decisive moment. The duo, which clinched the championship a year earlier, repeated the feat with a 6-3 win to secure the title and seal a 23-18 victory for UCSD.

The Tritons now turn their focus to Nationals, aiming to improve upon last year’s fourth-place finish and become the first Southern California program since UCLA in 2022 to capture a Nationals Championship.

“I’m so lucky to be part of this team. Playing club tennis has been a blessing because of the people I’ve met and the experiences I’ve had. It’s added so much life to my tennis career and makes me excited to get up and train every morning. Having all of our alumni, along with our B and C teams, come to watch our finals match under the bright lights made it feel like I was playing in an environment I probably won’t experience again. It’s the most famous I’ll ever be,” Ethan Vo said with a laugh. “Nationals is such an incredible experience, and this year, I really feel like we have the team to win it all. Being able to chase that goal and play meaningful tennis is special.”

Standout performances were plentiful throughout the weekend. The men’s doubles team of Admiraal and Li went undefeated across four matches together, with each player adding a fifth win alongside Ronin Suzuki. Hirota recorded four victories in women’s doubles, partnering twice with Ritchie and once each with Chen and Leong. Vo excelled in men’s singles, winning all three of his playoff matches in addition to a pool-play victory, while Chen earned three wins in women’s singles, including a key playoff victory.

Mixed doubles proved to be UCSD’s most dominant line, as the Tritons went a perfect 6-0 over the weekend. Ishida and Sherrill led the charge with three playoff victories and another win in pool play, while additional wins from combinations featuring Suzuki and Ishida completed the unbeaten run.

University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)

Ending the weekend as finalists, UCLA’s A team once again secured a return trip to the National Championships with a strong performance at Sectionals. In pool play, the Bruins faced CMS A, Pepperdine B, and USD B, compiling a perfect 3-0 record while dominating the competition. UCLA won all 15 sets contested, defeating CMS A 30-7, Pepperdine B 30-1, and USD B 30-5 to comfortably advance to Sunday’s Gold bracket.

The Bruins carried that momentum into the playoffs, opening Sunday with a convincing 27-12 victory over UCR A behind wins in women’s doubles, men’s doubles, women’s singles, and men’s singles. With their Nationals berth secured, UCLA remained focused on a Sectionals title and followed with another strong showing in the semifinals, defeating SDSU A 27-19 after claiming four of the five lines, securing wins in women’s doubles, women’s singles, men’s singles, and mixed doubles.

Although UCLA fell just short in the championship match, the Bruins head into Nationals as one of the section’s most accomplished Tennis On Campus programs, aiming to bring a third Nationals title to Westwood within the past seven years.

“The environment at Sectionals is absolutely electric. It’s amazing to see our team compete at a high level and connect with players from other teams,” said Saachi Pavani. “I’m most looking forward to continuing to play high-level tennis, finishing my senior year strong, and having fun with the team,” added Nishad Elias. “I feel really good about our team this year and am hopeful we will go far at Nationals. We’re keeping the positive vibes going and bringing them to Fort Worth,” stated Kyle Shigekawa. 

Driving UCLA’s success throughout the weekend was its depth on the women’s side of the lineup. The Bruins’ women’s doubles and women’s singles positions combined for a perfect 12-0 record throughout play. In women’s doubles, Caitlyn Buist, Samantha Cheng, Pavani, and Manasi Vartak accounted for all six victories. Buist earned two wins alongside Cheng and two more with Vartak, while Cheng and Pavani added two victories together as a pairing. In women’s singles, Natalia Mochernak served as the anchor, winning all three of her playoff matches along with an additional victory in pool play. Cheng and Vartak contributed the remaining pool-play wins at the position. On the men’s singles side, Peter Boyd delivered two crucial playoff victories and added another win in pool play, while Spencer Rosant collected two pool-play victories of his own.

University of California Irvine (UCI) 

After nearly a decade without a Nationals appearance, UCI’s A team reversed its fortunes and secured a long-awaited return through an impressive showing at Sectionals. Having fallen one match short of qualification the previous year, the Anteaters entered determined to finish the job.

Placed in a pool with Cal Poly Pomona B, SDSU B, and UCSD C, UCI went undefeated while dropping just one of 15 sets. The Anteaters defeated Cal Poly Pomona B 30-1, SDSU B 29-17, and UCSD C 30-9 to advance comfortably to the Gold bracket.

In the quarterfinals, UCI faced a familiar opponent in UCSB A, the same team that eliminated them one year earlier. This time, the Anteaters flipped the script, earning a decisive 26-15 victory to clinch their Nationals berth. Although their run ended in the semifinals against eventual champion UCSD, UCI leaves Sectionals with renewed confidence and momentum heading into Nationals.

“I’m really proud of how we played, but even more proud of how everyone competed, supported each other, and brought energy to every match. I think that was the key to our success. We’ve always had the ability to make it to Nationals in past years, but the biggest difference this time was making sure everyone believed in themselves and in each other, and really knowing that we could do it,” mentioned Tai Leong. “Our entire roster has never been to Nationals before, so it will be a great experience. Most of all, Nationals gives us a chance to spend more time with the seniors and create even more memories together.”

Multiple Anteaters played key roles in the breakthrough performance. In women’s doubles, Cydney Yamamoto accounted for three of the team’s four wins at the line, partnering twice with Irene Torres and once with Fiona Yao, while Yao added another victory alongside Sonia Mangat. Lauren Lee led the way in women’s singles, winning all three of her matches, including a quarterfinal victory, with Mangat contributing an additional win. In men’s singles, Xijian Chen won both matches he contested, one in pool play and another pivotal quarterfinal matchup. Mixed doubles also proved productive, with the Anteaters earning four wins through multiple lineup combinations. Yamamoto collected three victories, one with Carter Beppu and two with Jayce Spurgiasz, while Yao and Aaron Wang added another win to round out the team’s success.

San Diego State University (SDSU) 

Qualifying for Nationals for the third consecutive year, SDSU’s A team thrived competing close to home at Sectionals. The Aztecs opened play in a pool alongside LMU A, Cal Poly SLO C, and UCLA C and quickly established themselves as one of the tournament’s strongest teams. SDSU won all three matches without dropping a set, defeating LMU A 30-6, Cal Poly SLO C 30-8, and UCLA C 30-13 while winning all 15 sets contested.

In the quarterfinals, the Aztecs faced USC A in one of the weekend’s most competitive matches, escaping with a gritty 26-24 victory. Although SDSU claimed four of the five lines, each matchup proved tightly contested, with multiple sets decided by tiebreaks.

SDSU’s run ended in the semifinals against eventual runner-up UCLA, but the Aztecs demonstrated they belong among the nation’s top programs and will head to Texas with a balanced roster blending experienced leadership and young talent.

“My favorite thing about Sectionals was getting to play in our own hometown. We love the support we get from family, friends and the university. It’s amazing to compete here and consistently place in the top-four over the last three years. It’s been super exciting for us,” shared Anya Siegel. “Eighty percent of our team are seniors, so it’s super exciting to play in one last big tournament together. We’ve been training really hard this entire year, so we’re really looking forward to Nationals now that we have qualified.” 

Several players delivered impressive showings throughout the weekend. In men’s doubles, SDSU remained undefeated, led by Daniel Generalov, who earned four victories, three alongside Ian Cabrinha and another with Matthew Garrido. Garrido added an additional win partnering with Michael Rafael. In women’s doubles, the pairing of Shreya Bharath and Siegel went a perfect 3-0 in pool play, while Bharath and Kailee You secured an important quarterfinal victory. Rafael was strong in men’s singles, winning all four of his matches, including three in pool play and a key quarterfinal victory. In mixed doubles, You and Nikolaus Zemljic combined for four wins together, three during pool play and another in the quarterfinals.

Silver & Bronze Bracket

Even without a Gold bracket berth, Sunday provided new opportunities for the remaining teams. The best remaining 16 squads were divided into Silver and Bronze brackets based on their Saturday performances. 

Highlighting the strength of their respective programs, UCSD found both its B and C teams in the championship matches in the Silver and Bronze brackets, while UCLA advanced both its B and C teams into Silver bracket competition.

Mirroring the Gold bracket final matchup, the Silver bracket championship featured UCSD B against UCLA B, though this time the result favored the Bruins. In a tightly contested match, UCLA claimed the Silver title with a 24-21 victory, powered by wins in women’s doubles, men’s doubles, and men’s singles.

In the Bronze bracket final, UCSD C faced USD A and delivered a dominant performance. UCSD captured the Bronze title with a commanding 30-12 victory, also winning an impressive 15 of the 16 sets played during the bracket.