The UCSD men’s tennis team concluded its regular season with two conference wins on the road.
The Tritons traveled north to Sonoma State and beat them 7-2 on April 19 and then beat UC Davis 6-3 the following day.
“”We knew that [Sonoma State and UC Davis] were much weaker. We just wanted to stay focused, improve and have fun,”” Bryan Swatt said. “”The last two weeks were tough because of the competition we had. [These two matches] helped us settle down and relax.””
UCSD was undoubtedly the better team in the win over Sonoma State. The Tritons lost only a pair of matches overall and won five of the six singles matches in straight sets, handing the Seawolves their 13th loss of the season.
The Tritons tallied another victory on Easter Sunday by defeating No. 24 UC Davis 6-3. Junior Jeff Wilson had an especially good weekend, winning both singles matches with a score of 6-0, 6-0. UCSD head coach Eric Steidlmayer was pleased with UCSD’s efforts.
“”Sonoma was a fairly easy win. I was happy with the businesslike way we took care of our opponents,”” Steidlmayer said. “”We played fairly well against Davis, again a workman-like victory. We definitely had a few good performances by certain individuals and that is great to see.””
The Tritons finished the season with an 18-5 record overall and the top team in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.
UCSD had two losses in Division I against UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara, where the Tritons were just barely edged out 4-3 in both matches. The other three were against West Florida, BYU Hawaii, and Ouachita Baptist, the nation’s No. 1, No. 2, and No.5 teams, respectively.
Besides competing against these top teams in the nation, the Tritons also proved themselves in their own conference by setting a perfect 7-0 CCAA record.
UCSD also boasted a big win over Armstrong Atlantic, the No. 12 team in Division II, and took the top seed in the California Invitational Tournament. The Tritons’ consistent play and big victories resulted in a jump in their national rankings from No. 20 to No. 13.
Tritons also had some solid individual singles and doubles records this season. Junior Jeff Wilson ended the season with a 19-3 singles record, playing mostly at No. 6 and a 19-4 doubles record. Sophomore Emil Novak equaled last year’s performance, setting a 20-2 singles record for the season; in singles, he currently holds the Triton record for the highest winning percentage and is also second in single season victories. His younger brother, freshman Tommy Novak, posted a 14-4 doubles record playing mostly with Wilson at No. 2.
Captain Mike Meyer played competitively despite having ankle and shoulder surgery last year, boasting a 10-11 record, mostly at No. 3 singles. He also recorded a solid 16-3 doubles record with partner Sean Nagel.
In addition to the individual performances, this year’s team had chemistry. It is obvious to any spectator watching this team play that these players have a close bond, a trait that distinguishes them from other teams. Their affinity for each other is apparent in their vocal support, especially with the loud cheers from the freshmen like Tommy Novak and Erik Oijala. The players appreciate the encouraging cheers.
“”I like the cheering basically all the time … I think [our loud support for each other] intimidates some guys and [gets] in [the other team’s] heads, like Tommy on our team, he’s crazy,”” Meyer said.
Nagel expressed a similar sentiment.
“”I think the team aspect of intercollegiate tennis is pretty unique … because you have your whole team backing you and you’re not ever really out there alone,”” Nagel said.
Steidlmayer has helped UCSD come a long way since he took over the helm of the Triton ship in 1999. In 2001, UCSD moved up to Division II from Division III and he has led them into the playoffs every year since then.
Overall, Steidlmayer is pleased with this season.
“”Our goals at the start of the season were to improve and to make the national tournament,”” he said. “”If we win the regional and make it to the national tournament, we will be assured a top-10 ranking and will have gone somewhere this program hasn’t been in my tenure.””
Postseason play is scheduled to begin on May 2. Opponents and locations are yet to be determined.
