BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -
This President's Day weekend road trip was emblematic of much of the UC Santa Barbara's men's tennis team's struggles up to this point in the season. The Gauchos fell 4-2 to Indiana on Monday, bringing their season record to 2-8.
A minor shakeup in the doubles lineup by head coach Marty Davis was not enough to clinch the opening point. Joseph Rotheram and Victor Krustev slid down to the number two spot while Joseph Guillin and Alejandro Vedri were elevated to the number one court. Similar to the loss two days prior, the team struggled out of the gate and failed to find their footing in the unfamiliar indoor setting.
Alex Soto and Luka Vukmanovic were the first off in a 6-1 loss, and the new number ones were defeated shortly thereafter by a score of 6-4. Rotheram and Krustev were in the midst of a competitive battle on court two that didn't get to play out; but the two played much more cohesively than they did at Minnesota.
The Gauchos quickly evened things up as Rotheram continued his strong playing with a decisive win on the fourth court, 6-2, 7-5. Soto played a close two sets but was bested 6-4 in both, but Krustev chalked up a 6-4, 7-6 win. At this point, things were looking up for the Gauchos: with the match tied, all three of Guillin, Vedri, and Josh Williams held leads on their respective courts, even bringing them to match points.
Number eight-ranked Guillin was then upset for the second time this weekend, losing a tiebreak in the second set and 6-3 in the third to number 94-ranked Bennett Crane. Williams suffered a similar fate to give the Hoosiers the fourth and final point; ahead 4-1 in the third set, he was bested 6-4, after losing the tiebreak in set two 7-6 (2-7). Vedri was unable to finish off his opponent in time, his match going unfinished at 6-6 in the third set.
"We don't like making excuses for ourselves because we know we are a good team and we will see better days in the future," said Junior Victor Krustev. "We know that being inside is different, the artificial lighting, the way the balls act a little different... we know what to expect and we expect to do better as a team."
Coach Davis was more to the point: "We let this one get away. We're hoping we can turn it around at home."
The Gauchos will finally get to enjoy the comforts of home, with seven straight matches at the Rec Cen courts in Santa Barbara, starting with Pacific on Saturday.
RESULTS
Singles competition
1. #94 Bennett Crane (IU) def. #8 Joseph Guillin (UCSB) 2-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 2. Victor Krustev (UCSB) def. Zac Brodney (IU) 6-4, 7-6 3. Carson Haskins (IU) vs. Alejandro Vedri (UCSB) 6-7 (7-9), 6-6, unfinished 4. Joseph Rotheram (UCSB) def. Patrick Fletchall (IU) 6-2, 7-5 5. Luka Vukovic (IU) def. Alex Soto (UCSB) 6-4, 6-4 6. Vikash Singh (IU) def. Joshua Williams (UCSB) 6-4, 6-7 (2-7), 6-4
Doubles competition
1. Bennett Crane/Zac Brodney (IU) def. Joseph Guillin/Alejandro Vedri (UCSB) 6-4 2. Payam Ahmadi/Patrick Fletchall (IU) vs. Victor Krustev/Joseph Rotheram (UCSB) 3-4, unfinished 3. Carson Haskins/Vikash Singh (IU) def. Joshua Williams/Alex Soto (UCSB) 6-1
Match Notes: UC Santa Barbara 2-8 Indiana University 4-3 Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (4,5,2,1,6)
