DAVIS, Calif. – The No. 65 Gauchos (10-8, 2-2 BWC) saw their four-match win streak snapped on Saturday after falling to Big West opponents, No. 68 UC Davis (15-4, 3-0 BWC), 4-3 at the Marya Welch Tennis Center in Davis.
UC Santa Barbara lost the doubles competition and split their singles matches to drop to 2-2 in conference play and 10-8 on the season while the Aggies remained perfect against Big West opponents at 3-0 and finished the home portion of their schedule undefeated at 8-0.
The Aggies jumped out to a 1-0 lead after defeating the Gauchos at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles. Alec Adamson and Adam Levie downed UCSB's senior duo of Tobias Galskov and Ziad Sultan 6-2 at the No. 1 court while junior Nathan Eshmade and sophomore Erik Johnsson saw their three-match winning streak end at No. 2 doubles after losing to Brett Bacharach and Bryce McKelvie 6-4.
In the singles competition, UC Davis did just enough to win the match, winning three of the six singles matches to clinch the narrow 4-3 victory.
At No. 3 singles, sophomore Morgan Mays put the Gauchos on the board with a 6-2, 6-0 victory to extend his personal winning streak to eight before freshman Cody Rakela gave Santa Barbara the 2-1 lead after handing Bryce McKelvie a 6-4, 6-4 loss at the No. 4 spot.
The Aggies stormed back with wins at the No. 1 and No. 2 courts to pull within a point of the match victory at 3-2. In his return to the lineup, senior Tobias Galskov was dealt a 6-4, 6-4 loss at No. 1 singles after missing the previous four matches with an injury. Nathan Eshmade, who came into the match riding a four-match win streak, was cooled off after a 7-6, 6-2 defeat to Alec Adamson at the No. 2 court.
Sophomore Teague Hamilton kept Gaucho hopes alive after gutting out a comeback victory in three sets 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 against Eli Whittle at No. 6 singles to provide the third Gaucho point of the match.
With the score knotted up at 3-all, the last match point came down to No. 5 singles, where Erik Johnsson looked to be on his way to victory after being up a set and 5-1 serving against Everett Maltby. Maltby proved resilient, however, as he rallied back to win the second set 7-5 and the third set 6-2 to give the Aggies the 4-3 victory.
The Gauchos will look to bounce back from the disappointing loss as they continue their road trip to Stockton, Calif. to take on the Pacific Tigers at 11 am on Sunday.
Follow the Gauchos on Twitter @UCSBTennis.
#65 UC Santa Barbara at #68 UC Davis
April 11, 2015 at Davis, Calif. (Marya Welch Tennis Center)
#68 UC Davis 4, #65 UC Santa Barbara 3
DOUBLES
1. Alec Adamson / Adam Levie (UCD) def. Tobias Galskov/Ziad Sultan (UCSB), 6-2
2. Brett Bacharach / Bryce McKelvie (UCD) def. Nathan Eshmade/Erik Johnsson (UCSB), 6-4
3. Tommy Lam / James Wade (UCD) vs. Morgan Mays/Andrew Riminton (UCSB), unfinished
SINGLES
1. James Wade (UCD) def. Tobias Galskov (UCSB), 6-4, 6-4
2. Alec Adamson (UCD) def. Nathan Eshmade (UCSB), 7-6, 6-2
3. Morgan Mays (UCSB) def. Brett Bacharach (UCD), 6-2, 6-0
4. Cody Rakela (UCSB) def. Bryce McKelvie (UCD), 6-4, 6-4
5. Everett Maltby (UCD) def. Erik Johnsson (UCSB), 5-7, 7-5, 6-2
6. Teague Hamilton (UCSB) def. Eli Whittle (UCD), 5-7, 6-4, 7-5
Order of Finish: 3, 4, 1, 2, 6, 5*
UCSB Season Record: Overall (10-8); Big West (2-2)
