The UCSB men’s tennis season continues this weekend as the Gauchos travel north to face off against UC Davis on Saturday. They’ll then head to the city of Moraga for their meet versus Saint Mary’s College the following day.
Santa Barbara is coming off yet another set of stellar performances after defeating both Drake University and the University of Denver at final scores of 4-3 each all of last week. UCSB now stands at 12-5 overall on the season and is currently on a five-game winning streak.
UC Davis holds an 11-6 overall record on the season and has a two-game winning streak; they are currently 5-2 at home.
Halfway through its six-game road stretch, UCSB’s latest hot streak has led to its ascension to the No. 49 overall standing within the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division I men’s tennis rankings.
The nationally ranked duo of Simon Freund and Morgan Mays are also in the top 20 for doubles standings, but they have dropped from No. 9 to No. 19 after losing to unranked Alex Gasson and Yannik James of Denver.
Aside from Saint Mary’s on Sunday, the remainder of the scheduled opponents will all be Big West conference meets. The Gauchos are currently 1-0 in conference play, following their 7-0 rout over the University of Hawaii back in January. With the Big West Tournament set to take place April 26-29, UCSB will hope to claim its third consecutive conference title this season.
Lastly, UCSB came out on top after ending its home stint with a 4-3 record throughout the month of March.
Santa Barbara can anticipate a challenging matchup in facing UC Davis, as the Aggies are in fine form after last week’s play.
They upset Cal Poly — who was previously ranked No. 42 in the nation — by a score of 4-3. That was UC Davis’ ninth (4-3) one-point final score throughout the season.
Afterward, Davis rolled through the University of Hawaii the following day by a score of 6-1. With that, the Aggies remain undefeated in conference play and will look to extend their Big West record to 3-0 following their match against UCSB.
Saint Mary’s College has currently lost four of its last five meets and holds a 5-4 record while playing at home.
The Gaels’ struggles continue after dropping both of their matches last weekend. On Saturday they fell 1-4 to the visiting University of Santa Clara, then 2-4 to the University of San Francisco the following day, dropping their WCC conference record down to 1-4 on the season.
It’s very possible for the Gauchos to continue their 1-0 Big West record after this week, as Santa Barbara is well on its way to a .750 win percentage.
UCSB is on the road this weekend, as they will face off away at UC Davis at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 8, then against Saint Mary’s College Sunday, April 9 at 1 p.m.