The No. 18 UCSD men’s tennis team was quick on its feet May 6 on its home turf. The team delivered a 5-0 win over Sonoma State to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division-II Men’s Tennis Championships. With the win, the Tritons will have the chance to advance again with a matchup against No. 5 Lynn University on May 10 in Kansas City, Mo.
Senior Erik Oijala teamed up with sophomore Blake Meister in one of UCSD’s three doubles wins over Sonoma State in the Tritons’ first game of the Division-II NCAA Championships on May 6. The Tritons went on to win the match 5-0 to advance to the next round on May 10.
“All of us were fairly confident because we had already beat Sonoma twice this year,” sophomore Ramesh Thondapu said. “However, last time we played them, they competed very well and gave us a tough match so we knew we had to be focused and bring intensity and determination to win.”
The Tritons jumped to an early 3-0 lead heading into the singles matches, a position the Tritons are used to, given the regular dominance of their doubles teams.
“Our team is a very tough doubles team,” Thondapu said. “We know that if we bring energy to the doubles and get out on top early then that transfers over to the singles and we just keep on rolling.”
In the No. 1 doubles spot, sophomore Blake Meister and senior Erik Oijala paired up against Sonoma’s Westley Keister and Andy Laing and pulled off an 8-6 victory in the match.
“We came out and broke to a 4-1 lead, but the momentum slowed and they got the next four,” Meister said. “But our coach [Eric Steidlmayer] helped us get better concentration rather than trying to force things and we came back.”
Seniors Brent Molden and Steven Oechel combined for an easy 8-2 win in the No. 2 seed, while teammates, sophomore Eric Rubens and freshman Kazumi Negishi, held down the No. 3 spot with another 8-6 victory.
“SSU would’ve really had to have a great day to beat us after we took the three doubles matches,” Oijala said. “It was all pretty much over from that point.”
All of the singles matches ended with a Triton in the lead, with the exception of Negishi, who was behind Sonoma State’s Miguel Camino in the No. 5 matchup. Meister was his usual self, but this time he had the advantage of knowing his opponent.
“I’ve played Andy a number of times since high school,” said Meister of his opponent, Andy Muesse, in the No. 3 singles match. “It came down to the third set and I was really able to take the coaches’ advice from doubles play in this match.”
Meister ultimately rose above Muesse, dominating 6-2, 6-0.
With a 14-9 overall record in the season, the Tritons now must move their attention toward the Sweet 16 competition, which is sure to give them more difficulty than the early matchup against Sonoma State. This is the third-straight year the Tritons have made nationals, with last year’s quarterfinals being the furthest they’ve gone in the tournament.
“We have a tough road ahead and a lot more work to do,” Thondapu said. “If we play well and every team member is strong mentally for every point, we give ourselves a good shot to go far. Lynn or Southern Florida will be tough to beat, but I think they feel the same way about us. Every match will be a dogfight, so whoever pulls out their best tennis will prevail.”
