MEN’S TENNIS — With the NCAA tournament near, the Tritons
have prepared themselves with a grueling set of matches down the stretch. Head
coach Eric Steidlmayer expects the challenging set of opponents to help his
team peak in the postseason.
“Our team really needs some competitive matches to properly
understand what kind of effort it takes to be successful,” he said. “We’ve made
it a priority to schedule matches against teams in other divisions … so that
our guys will be prepared for the type of quality teams we will see.”
With that in mind, the Tritons have been a busy bunch over
the last two weeks. It’s been a tough stretch that has seen the team go 1-6 to
fall to 9-10 for the year. But in fairness, the stretch has featured some truly
imposing opponents. Over spring break, the Tritons traveled to
four-day stretch from March 26 through March 29, UCSD played five matches, including
games against top-five schools
of
The road trip also featured a match against National Association of
Intercollegiate Athletics powerhouse
hosts of the event and a team that extended its undefeated streak to 16 when
they beat UCSD 8-1.
“They’re a tough team,” junior Kaz Negishi said. “Their
lineup is full of players that have a complete game where you can’t attack them
anywhere. It was our first match following a long trip, and we weren’t in a
groove as a team yet. I’m just glad we don’t have to see them again.”
Next up for UCSD was
the second ranked team in Division II. This time around the Tritons handled
themselves much better, losing 6-3. Steidlmayer resorted to breaking up his
highly successful doubles team of seniors Eric Rubens and Blake Meister, using
Rubens with sophomore Alex Placek at the top spot and pairing Meister with
Negishi at No. 3. Placek and Rubens put up a fight, losing 9-8. Meister and
Negishi, were impressive in taking out Otto Lenhart and Michael Luech by a 8-3
margin.
“Coach thought breaking us up would be best for the team to
try and gain an early edge in doubles,” Meister said. “Those matches are so
crucial in getting some momentum because they happen before singles play
starts.”
After earning a 2-1 edge in doubles, the Tritons stumbled in
singles, winning only one match when sophomore Bijan Moallemi’s opponent, Joerg
Ekkenga, retired after only two games.
The Tritons’ tough trip continued when they took on No. 27
Columbus State University. Entering as the favorite, UCSD lost 5-3, dropping
two three-set singles matches that proved to be the difference. In a heated
match at the top singles spot, Frank Suarez outlasted Moallemi 6-3, 3-6, 6-2,
while Brandon Low lost 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 at No. 6.
In the second half of the doubleheader, the Tritons bounced
back to win their first and only match of the Jamboree, beating
UCSD set the tone early, jumping out to a 3-0 lead with a revamped doubles
lineup. UCSD won matches 8-4, 8-2 and 8-3 at the one, two and three spots,
respectively. The Tritons held their own in singles, winning four of six to
clinch a 7-2 victory. Rubens, Placek and sophomore Brandon Low were victorious
in three-set singles matches.
The Tritons’ final match in
came against No. 4 West Florida. The Tritons fell behind early, losing all
three doubles matches, but made things very interesting in singles before
losing 6-3.
Despite being down 0-3 after doubles, UCSD played inspired
singles matches and had chances to claim an improbable comeback victory.
Moallemi and Meister cruised to easy victories, cutting the deficit to 2-3. The
last three matches on court would all go the distance, with two needing a third
set tiebreak to settle the match. The Tritons split the two matches that went
to final set tiebreaks; Negishi won his match at No. 4 singles, while Placek
lost a tough one after winning the first set.
Since returning home, UCSD has hosted its last two home
matches of the season. The Tritons’ first was widely considered the year’s
premier home game, with No. 10 Hawaii Pacific University coming to test the
Tritons on the North Courts. UCSD lost 7-2, falling behind after losing two
doubles matches, and the Tritons couldn’t catch up in singles, where they lost
five of six.
UCSD’s final home match came against
on April 8. After taking an early 2-1 lead after doubles, the Tritons failed to
shut the door in singles, losing the match 5-4.
The Tritons have two regular season games left against
and UC Davis before the West Regional, which starts on May 8.
