RICHMOND, VA - VCU's 96th-ranked graduate student Paola Exposito Diaz-Delgado defeated No. 15 ranked Pepperdine graduate student Shiori Fukuda in the first round of the NCAA Singles Championships Monday morning at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex in Champaign, Illinois
 
Diaz-Delgado fell behind early but rallied back to take a convincing 6-4 first set win. That momentum would carry into the second set as Diaz-Delgado went up 3 games to none before Fukuda made it 6-4, 3-1. Diaz-Delgado would close out the match in dominant fashion earning a 6-1 second set victory and clinching a spot in the round of 32.
 
With this win Diaz-Delgado advances to face UCLA's No. 58 ranked Elysia Bolton tomorrow, Tuesday May 24 at 11 a.m. EST. Bolton is a three-time ITA All-American selection and totaled an overall record of 10-6 during the 2021-22 campaign.