The Santa Barbara City College Men’s Tennis team completed the four-day Conference Individuals tournament on Saturday at Ventura College.
The Vaqueros No. 2 doubles team of Nick Bosch-Garza and Matias Lapidus had a season-best performance in the Round of 16. They defeated Ventura’s very solid No. 2 team of Peyrebonne and Ono 8-5.
After a slow start, they found themselves down 4-0. From there, a combination of patience and a commitment to play smart and attacking doubles reversed the tide in their favor. The duo played nearly flawlessly after the early deficit, winning eight of the next nine games against a formidable opponent.
“Nick and Matias have grown so much together in their chemistry and their tactics,” head coach Danny Echt said. “Even though they were eliminated by the Glendale No. 1 team in the quarterfinals 8-4, it’s a testament to their hard work and belief that they qualified for the Ojai State tournament in doubles.”
The Vaqueros No. 1 team of captain Ludwig Chan and Loris Alem also found their rhythm, combining well during the tournament. They advanced to the semifinals, where they were defeated in three sets by the Bakersfield No. 1 team of Lipczynski/Vankan 6-3, 3-6, 10-8.
“It was a great show of high level doubles from both teams, and to have a two-hour-plus match be decided by two points shows how tight it was,” Echt said. “Ludi held serve consistently well and Loris’ net game proved to be very effective all tournament long. “
The opportunity for two Vaqueros doubles teams to earn their way to get to compete at the Ojai, the oldest tournament in the USA, is a great honor. This season’s tough conference opponents presented great challenges each match, and the Vaqueros showed heart and guts throughout the season culminating in an excellent WSC Individual performance.
As a team, the Vaqueros earned the No. 7 seed in the Regional playoffs starting Tuesday and will travel to top-seeded Irvine Valley.