Maddy Fangio / Daily Nexus

The UC Santa Barbara men’s tennis team defeated Oklahoma State 4-3 in an impressive display of skill on Jan. 15. This opening match triumph sets the stage for the season to come. This was the first match in Gaucho history where UCSB’s men’s tennis team played against Oklahoma State’s. 

The Gauchos defeated the Cowboys 4-3 including 3 straight set wins to clinch a victory. On home turf at UCSB’s Arnhold Tennis Center, the Gauchos dominated in both doubles and singles, achieving victories in both.

The Gauchos built early momentum with a strong performance in doubles, securing the opening point. On court one, No. 37 Gianluca Brunkow and Dominique Rolland notched the first win of the day, followed closely by Charlie Underwood and Conrad Brown, whose victory put UCSB ahead 1-0. 

Brunkow and Rolland were ones to watch, after victory at the Battle in the Bay tournament earlier this season. Brunkow, a senior, was ranked No. 45 in preseason ITA. Rolland, a junior hailing from River Oaks Academy, was ranked No. 140 in the world for junior tennis. 

As singles play began, No. 65 Diogo Morais dominated on court four, claiming a straight-sets victory to extend the Gauchos’ lead. Morais won the singles title back in the Fall Tennis Champs and his successes keep coming. The Gauchos sealed the win with back-to-back successes from Rolland, who also won in straight sets, and freshman Underwood, who delivered a commanding performance in his spring season debut winning 6-4, 6-3. Although the Cowboys rallied to take the final 3 points, their efforts fell short, and the Gauchos secured their first win of the season. 

The Gauchos now look to their next opponents the University of Nevada as they host them this Sunday, Jan. 19.  So far, the history of this matchup leaves the Gauchos in a 1-1 draw with their last meeting suffering defeat. All is to play for this next match.

A version of this article was printed in the Jan 23. edition of the Daily Nexus