April 29, 2007

Indian Wells, Calif. - The UC Santa Barbara men's tennis team claimed its second straight Big West Conference Championship with a 4-2 win over Central Coast rival Cal Poly at Indian Wells Tennis Garden Sunday. The Gauchos have now won four Big West championships in the last six years.

Third-seeded UCSB, which has battled injuries all season, stepped up when it mattered most, defeating a tough second-seeded UC Irvine squad in the semifinals and the top-seeded Mustangs in the finals.

The Gauchos captured the crucial doubles point at the No. 2 position. Junior Anders Dalskov and sophomore Grant Robertson scratched out a 9-8 (3) win against Darryn Young and Rob Foy. With the teams tied at 8-8 and entering the tiebreaker, UCSB used a five-point run to propel it to the 1-0 match lead.

Cal Poly looked like it had control early on in singles, posting easy victories at No. 5 and No. 1. Foy shook off the effects of the loss in doubles to roll to a 6-3, 6-1 win over Josh Finkelstein at No. 5. Senior Matt Baca then gave the Mustangs a 2-1 lead after defeating Bijan Hejazi 6-2, 6-2.

But the Gauchos resisted any further damage and began their comeback in the lower half of the ladder. Junior Jack Hui, the hero of Saturday's victory over UC Irvine, quickly tied the match at 2-2 with a 6-2, 6-3 triumph versus Fred Dewitte at No. 4. After winning a tough first set tiebreaker, sophomore Max Taylor defeated Nick Berger 7-6 (2), 6-1 at No. 6.

Dalskov found himself in another clinching situation following his successful foray to the doubles point. This time, it was at No. 2 singles for the native of Hoersholm, Denmark. In the only three-set battle of the match, Dalskov prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 against Young.

The Gauchos await their selection and seeding for the 2007 NCAA Championships, with first and second matches taking place from May 11-12. The selection show will be broadcast on ESPNews on Tuesday, May 1 sometime between 11:30-12:00 p.m. (PT).

UCSB improved to 6-18 with the win, while Cal Poly's season ended at 11-13.

UC Santa Barbara 4, Cal Poly 2

DOUBLES
1. Baca/Roybal (CP) def. Therp/Hui (UCSB) - 8-4
2. Dalskov/Grant Robertson (UCSB) def. Young/Foy (CP) - 9-8 (3)
3. Finkelstein/Nigel Barton (UCSB) def. Dewitte/Berger (CP) - 8-6

SINGLES
1. Matt Baca (CP) def. Bijan Hejazi (UCSB) - 6-2, 6-2
2. Anders Dalskov (UCSB) def. Darryn Young (CP) - 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
3. Kyle Roybal (CP) vs. Philip Therp (UCSB) - DNF
4. Jack Hui (UCSB) def. Fred Dewitte (CP) - 6-2, 6-3
5. Rob Foy (CP) def. Josh Finkelstein (UCSB) - 6-3, 6-1
6. Max Taylor (UCSB) def. Nick Berger (CP) - 7-6 (2), 6-1

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