SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Feb. 17, 2023) — Conrad Brown had his first signature moment as a Gaucho Friday afternoon, clinching UC Santa Barbara men's tennis' 4-3 comeback win over Boise State. This is the second straight match that the Gauchos have won by that narrow margin after losing the doubles point. UCSB is now 9-0, one of their best starts to a season in program history.
THE MATCH
Final: UC Santa Barbara 4, Boise State 3
Records: UC Santa Barbara 9-0 (0-0 Big West), Boise State 3-2 (0-0)
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos and Broncos played about as close of a match as either team has all season on Friday. After the No. 28 nationally ranked duo of Phillip Jordan and Kai Brady won, 6-2, on the top doubles court, Boise State won on court two by the same score. The decisive third doubles match came down to a tiebreaker. It went the way of the Broncos, 8-6, giving the visitors the first lead.
That lead did not last long, as Lucca Liu gave the Gauchos their first point with a win in straight sets on court three in singles. The teams traded the next five points, with UCSB scoring by way of Luka Mrsic and Kai Brady winning on courts four and five. With Conrad Brown's match on court six the last one running, the winner there would take the dual. Brown led his third and final set from the first game to the last, clinching another dramatic win for the Gauchos.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. #28 Jordan/Brady (UCSB) def. Chin/Moortgat (BOI) 6-2
2. Bott/Arca Costas (BOI) def. Brown/Watanabe Eriksson (UCSB) 6-2
3. Sippel/Marquardt (BOI) def. Liu/Brunkow (UCSB) 7-6 (8-6)
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3
Singles
1. Sam Sippel (BOI) def. Phillip Jordan (UCSB) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
2. Simon Arca Costas (BOI) def. Gianluca Brunkow (UCSB) 6-2, 7-6 (7-4)
3. Lucca Liu (UCSB) def. James Van Herzeele (BOI) 6-2, 6-1
4. Luka Mrsic (UCSB) def. John Chin (BOI) 6-4, 6-4
5. Kai Brady (UCSB) def. Jan Lucca Marquardt (BOI) 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-0
6. Conrad Brown (UCSB) def. Ryo Minakata (BOI) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
Order of finish: 3, 2, 4, 1, 5, 6
UP NEXT
It's the Gauchos' toughest test of the season next, as they travel to Malibu for a dual with Pepperdine on Sunday. The Waves were ranked as high as 19th in the nation this season and received votes in the most recent ITA Rankings. First serve from the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center in Malibu is set for 2 p.m.
