UCSB men’s tennis team to face formidable foe

By ERIC BOOSE UCSB SPORTS WRITER

The UCSB men’s tennis team has climbed to its highest national ranking of the season ahead of one of its toughest tests, as the 32nd-ranked Gauchos will host the 28th-ranked Cal Golden Bears at Arnhold Tennis Center on Sunday.

The Gauchos are riding a fivematch winning streak and have not lost at home all season, but they have never beaten Cal in a dual match.

The match is set for 1 p.m. Set and pits No. 32 UCSB (14-1, 1-0 Big West) vs. No. 28 Cal (9-4, 1-1 Pac-12) at the Arnhold Tennis Center.

UCSB will be looking for their first ever win over Cal on Sunday, with the Gauchos winless in 14 previous duals against the Golden Bears. UCSB’s most recent meeting with Cal was in April 2019 in Berkeley, with the Bears winning, 4-1.

Later in the week, the Gauchos will hit the road next, heading north to take on Oregon in Eugene on March 30. UCSB was originally scheduled to host the Ducks on Feb. 24, but wet weather that weekend forced a change of plans. First serve from Eugene is set for noon.

JORDAN EARNS SECOND BIG WEST WEEKLY HONOR (MARCH 8)

Phillip Jordan had a great weekend in San Diego and was recognized by The Big West for his performance, earning the conference’s Player of the Week award. Jordan clinched UCSB’s win over San Diego State on court one in singles to start the weekend, then helped the Gauchos to a shutout win at UC San Diego in their conference opener, winning on court one in doubles and court two in singles against the Tritons.

RANKING UP UCSB is home to some of the most talented collegiate tennis players in the nation, with Phillip Jordan and Kai Brady both earning spots in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s most recent national player rankings, checking in at 57th among all D-I doubles partnerships. As a team, the Gauchos are ranked No. 32 in the country.

JORDAN NAMED BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK (FEB. 8) Redshirt junior Phillip Jordan earned his fourth career Big West Player of the Week award following strong performances against New Orleans and UTSA. The redshirt junior went 2-0 at the top singles position against the Privateers and Roadrunners to help UCSB extend their unbeaten run to seven dual matches.

GETTING BACK TO THE MOUNTAINTOP

After a bitter end to the 2022 season, the Gauchos will look to win one match more in 2023 and reclaim The Big West Championship crown. UCSB went 17-6 in 2022, winning all 10 of their home matches, but their season ended in defeat to UC Irvine in the final match of The Big West Championship. The Gauchos had won a record six consecutive Big West Championships, from 2015-2021, and will look to return to the mountaintop in 2023 with their seventh conference title in eight seasons.

FALL RECAP

A number of Gauchos took part in October tournaments, making multiple deep runs in both doubles and singles. Pablo Masjuan finished second overall in singles at the UCSB Classic, where Gianluca Brunkow and Alexander Watanabe Eriksson took third in the doubles bracket. There was more doubles success to be had at the ITA Southwest Championships, with Phillip Jordan and Kai Brady reaching the semifinals. Masjuan was back on the podium at the UTSA SoCal Intercollegiate Championships, taking home the silver in singles and with Luka Mrsic in doubles. Masjuan came in at #77 in the ITA singles rankings in November.

Muller Ready For Year

Two At The Helm

The 2023 season is Blake Muller’s second as head coach at UCSB and his ninth total with the program. The Santa Barbara native spent seven years as an assistant coach under Marty Davis, and was named head coach in August 2021, following Davis’s retirement. In 2019, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association named Muller the Southwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year.

Eric Boose is assistant director of athletic communications at UCSB. email: sports@newspress.com