FRESNO, Calif. - The UC Santa Barbara mens' tennis team claimed the double point in its match at No. 34 Fresno State on Tuesday, but the Bulldogs battled back to claim a 5-2 dual match win.
The Gauchos took two of three doubles matches, and nearly claimed all three doubles contests. UCSB won at No. 2 with Mbonisi Ndimande and Alex Johnson defeating Zachary Leslie and David Ayoun, 8-5. At No. 3, it was Ziad Sultan and Sash Gryaznov defeating Reid DeLaubenfels and Jean-Charles Diame, 8-4. UCSB's only doubles defeat came at No. 1, where the Bulldogs' Remi Boutillier and Francis Alcantara defeated Mathieu Forget and Benjamin Recknagel, 9-8.
In singles, Fresno State was dominant. The Bulldogs recorded wins in five of six matches. UCSB's Mbonisi Ndimande won at No. 4 with a 7-6, 7-6 victory over Zachary Leslie. At No. 1, the 25th-ranked player in the nation, Boutillier, topped Forget, 6-3, 6-2, and at No. 2, the 51st-ranked player, Alcantara, defeated Recknagel, 6-3, 6-1.
The Bulldogs also bested the Gauchos at No. 4-6 singles. The only match that was close was at No. 5 where Jean-Charles Diame topped Gryaznov, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.
UCSB is now 12-9 overall. The Gauchos, who are 3-1 in Big West play, will travel to UC Riverside on Saturday, April 21 for a noon match against the Highlanders. On Sunday, April 22, Santa Barbara will complete the regular season with a noon match against San Diego State on April 23.
The Gauchos will play at the Big West Conference Tournament at Indian Wells, Calif., on April 27-29. The winner will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
No. 34 Fresno State 5, UCSB 2
Doubles
No. 1 - Boutillier/Alcantara (FSU) def. Forget/Recknagel (UCSB) - 9-8
No. 2 - Ndimande/Johnson (UCSB) def. Leslie/Ayoun (FSU) - 8-5
No. 3 - Sultan/Gryaznov (UCSB) def. deLaubenfels/Diame (FSU) - 8-4
Singles
No. 1. - No. 25 Remi Boutillier (FSU) def. Mathieu Forget (UCSB) - 6-3, 6-2
No. 2 - No. 51 Francis Alcantara (FSU) def. Benjamin Recknagel (UCSB) - 6-3, 6-1
No. 3 - Mbonisi Ndimande (UCSB) def. Zachary Leslie - (FSU) - 7-6, 7-6
No. 4 - David Ayoun (FSU) def. Ziad Sultan (UCSB) - 6-3, 6-1
No. 5 - Jean-Charles Diame (FSU) def. Sasha Gryaznov (UCSB) - 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
No. 6 - Reid DeLaubenfels (FSU) def. Axel Bouillin (UCSB) - 6-4, 6-2
