SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The No. 60 UC Santa Barbara men's tennis team improved their home record to 6-0 on Wednesday as they downed the visiting Hawaii Rainbow Warriors for their first conference win of the season.
After securing the doubles point, the Gauchos won five of six singles matches en route to a 6-1 victory and have a winning record for the first time this season at 8-7 (1-1 in Big West). The loss drops Hawaii to 5-9 overall and 0-3 in Big West play.
Playing at No. 1 doubles, junior Nathan Eshmade and sophomore Erik Johnsson set the tone for the match with a dominating 6-1 victory against Lam/Chan. Sophomore Morgan Mays and junior Andrew Riminton quickly followed with a 6-2 win at No. 3 doubles to clinch the doubles point for the Gauchos. Play at No. 2 doubles was suspended after the Gauchos earned the 1-0 lead.
The Gauchos didn't let up as they won the next two singles matches to take a commanding 3-0 lead. Impressive freshman Cody Rakela was first off the court after dropping Marcel Chan 6-1, 6-1 at No. 4 singles. Sophomore Teague Hamilton finished just minutes later with a 6-3, 6-4 victory against Fabian Woehrl at the No. 6 position.
After Hawaii made the score 3-1 with a win at No. 1 singles, Nathan Eshmade closed the door on the Rainbow Warriors with a straight sets 6-3, 6-3 victory against Hawaii's No. 2, Chas Okamoto.
"For me, he (Eshmade) was the man of the match," said head coach Davis.
Eshmade's win improves the junior's record at No. 2 singles to 4-1 since moving up in the lineup.
"Eshmade has gone from lower in the lineup to higher in the lineup and is doing exceedingly well at No. 2 singles," added Marty Davis.
Sophomores Erik Johnsson and Morgan Mays won their matches to make the final score 6-1. Johnsson defeated Joakim Pinola 6-4, 6-0 at No. 5 singles and Mays downed Carter Lam 6-4, 6-4 at the No. 3 slot.
Next up for the Gauchos are New Mexico State on Saturday at 1:00 pm and UC Riverside on Sunday at 10:00 am. Both matches are at the Rec Cen Courts.
"We're hoping to keep our undefeated record at home alive over the weekend," said Davis.
UC Santa Barbara vs. Hawaii
April 1, 2015 at Santa Barbara, Calif.
(Rec Cen Courts)
UCSB 6, Hawaii 1
Doubles
1. Nathan Eshmade/Erik Johnsson (UCSB) def. Carter Lam/Marcel Chan (UH) 6-1
2. Ziad Sultan/Teague Hamilton (UCSB) vs. Nils Schuhmann/Joakim Pinola (UH) 4-5, unfinished
3. Morgan Mays/Andrew Riminton (UCSB) def. Chas Okamoto/Fabian Woehrl (UH) 6-2
Singles
1. Nils Schuhmann (UH) def. Ziad Sultan (UCSB) 6-2, 6-0
2. Nathan Eshmade (UCSB) def. Chas Okamoto (UH) 6-3, 6-3
3. Morgan Mays (UCSB) def. Carter Lam (UH) 6-4, 6-4
4. Cody Rakela (UCSB) def. Marcel Chan (UH) 6-1, 6-1
5. Erik Johnsson (UCSB) def. Joakim Pinola (UH) 6-4, 6-0
6. Teague Hamilton (UCSB) def. Fabian Woehrl (UH) 6-3, 6-4
Order of Finish: Doubles (1, 3); Singles (4, 6, 1, 2, 5, 3)
UCSB Season Record: Overall (8-7); Big West (1-1)
