The UCSB men’s tennis team wrapped up the Big West regular season title with a 5-2 win over Cal Poly on Senior Day at the Rec Cen courts on Saturday. It was the Gauchos’ 10th straight victory.
The win, in front of a large and festive home crowd, “was a great send off for our graduating seniors Teague Hamilton and Morgan Mays,” said coach Marty Davis.
The Gaucho’s ace doubles team of Mays and Simon Freund sneaked past the Mustangs’ Cory Pang and Ben Donovan in a thrilling 7-6 tie-break win to secure the opening point of the match. With the win, Mays and Freund, currently ranked No. 29 in the nation, should lock up an invitation to the NCAA Championships in Athens, Ga., in late May, according to Davis. “They would be the first doubles team in over two decades to represent UCSB at the Big Dance.”
Invigorated by the narrow doubles victory, the Gauchos rolled to lopsided first set wins in the ensuing singles competition. Although the Mustangs gamely fought back on a couple of courts, straight set wins from Anders Holm, Cody Rakela and Simon Freund on courts 4, 5 and 3, respectively, put this one in the bag early for the 42nd-ranked Gauchos.
The UCSB men will now be the top seeds at next week’s Big West Conference tournament in Indian Wells, where the Gauchos will try to win their third straight title. As the top seeds, the Gauchos will enjoy a first-round bye. The winner of the Big West Tournament earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.