INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – The No. 3-seeded Gauchos topped the second seeded UC Davis Aggies in a 4-1 decision on Friday to advance to the Big West Championship match against No. 1 seed, UC Irvine, on Sunday.
Santa Barbara used a dominant effort in doubles and wins at three of the four courts in singles to down the regular season co-champions, 4-1 in the Big West semifinals.
A win in doubles was key for the Gauchos as UC Davis won all 13 matches in which they clinched the doubles point, but were only 3-5 when dropping the doubles contest.
Junior Nathan Eshmade and sophomore Erik Johnsson kicked off the doubles competition with a 6-3 victory against the Aggies' No. 1 tandem of Alec Adamson and Alex Levie. Sophomore Morgan Mays and junior Andrew Riminton followed up with a 6-4 triumph at No. 3 doubles to clinch the doubles point for UCSB. Senior Tobias Galskov and Ziad Sultan were up 5-4 before play was suspended.
UC Santa Barbara kept the momentum rolling in the singles competition, winning the first two singles matches to take a commanding 3-0 lead.
Senior Tobias Galskov was first off the court at No. 1 singles with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Aggies' sophomore James Wade, who led all Big West conference players with 24 singles victories this season.
After Galskov put the Gauchos up 2-0, red-hot sophomore Teague Hamilton stretched the UCSB lead to three and extended his win streak to six with a victory at the No. 6 slot, defeating Jesse Ross 6-2, 7-6(4).
The Aggies' Bryce McKelvie put UC Davis on the board after handing UCSB freshman Cody Rakela a 7-5, 6-2 loss at No. 4 singles to make the score 3-1.
Sophomore Erik Johnsson clinched the match and a Big West finals berth for UCSB after avenging his earlier regular loss against UC Davis' No. 5, Everett Maltby. Johnsson defeated the UC Davis freshman 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to provide the fourth and final Gauchos' point.
Play was suspended at courts two and three after the Gauchos captured the match victory.
To win the Big West championship, the Gauchos will have to go through the No. 1 seeded UC Irvine Anteaters. Irvine earned the No. 1 seed and a share of the Big West regular season title after finishing their regular season with a conference-high 20 dual match victories and a 4-1 conference record.
The Anteaters defeated No. 4 Cal Poly in the semifinals by a 4-1 score after winning the doubles competition and three of the four completed singles matches.
UC Irvine is led by impressive freshman Sebastian Heim, who has compiled a 17-6 record at the No. 1 slot and a 21-7 mark overall in dual match play, and junior Tyler Pham, who occupies the 'Eaters' No. 2 position with a 9-4 record.
In doubles, the Anteaters have winning records at all three doubles positions. Jonathan Poon and Justin Agbayani take up the top spot with a 5-1 record, followed by Tyler/Hammel (6-1) at No. 2 doubles, and Heim/Mertens (7-2) at the No. 3 slot.
UC Santa Barbara will play for their ninth Big West title beginning at 9AM on Sunday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Follow the Gauchos on Twitter @UCSBTennis.
No. 3 UCSB (4), No. 2 UC Davis (1)
April 24, 2014
Indian Wells Tennis Garden (Indian Wells, Calif.)
Doubles
1. Nathan Eshmade/Erik Johnsson (UCSB) def. Alec Adamson/Adam Levie (UCD) 6-3
2. Tobias Galskov/Ziad Sultan (UCSB) vs. Bryce McKelvie/Brett Bacharach (UCD) 5-4 (unf.)
3. Morgan Mays/Andrew Riminton (UCSB) def. Tommy Lam/James Wade (UCD) 6-4
Order of Finish: 1, 3
Singles
1. Tobias Galskov (UCSB) def. James Wade (UCD) 6-3, 6-2
2. Nathan Eshmade (UCSB) vs. Alec Adamson (UCD) 7-5, 6-6 (unf.)
3. Morgan Mays (UCSB) vs. Brett Bacharach (UCD) 6-4, 6-7(3), 1-3 (unf.)
4. Bryce McKelvie (UCD) def. Cody Rakela (UCSB) 7-5, 6-2
5. Erik Johnsson (UCSB) def. Everett Maltby (UCD) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
6. Teague Hamilton (UCSB) def. Jesse Ross (UCD) 6-2, 7-6 (4)
Order of Finish: 1, 6, 4, 5
UCSB Season Record: 14-9
Tournament Schedule
First Round: April 23
No. 3 UC Santa Barbara def. No. 6 Hawaii, 4-0
No. 4 Cal Poly def. No. 5 UC Riverside, 4-0
Semifinals: April 24
No. 1 UC Irvine def. No. 4 Cal Poly, 4-1
No. 3 UC Santa Barbara def. No. 2 UC Davis, 4-1
Championships: April 26
No. 3 UC Santa Barbara vs. No. 1 UC Irvine (9:00 AM)
