SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Feb. 9, 2023) — Another weekend means another chance for UC Santa Barbara men's tennis to extend their unbeaten streak, with the Gauchos welcoming Loyola Marymount to the Arnhold Tennis Center Saturday afternoon. UCSB won their first two home duals in dominant fashion on January 21, shutting out Grand Canyon, 7-0, and Portland State, 4-0, without losing a single set of doubles or singles play.
DETAILS
Match 8
Saturday, February 11 | 1 p.m.
UC Santa Barbara (7-0, 0-0 Big West) vs. Loyola Marymount (2-1, 0-0 West Coast)
Arnhold Tennis Center | Santa Barbara, Calif.
Live Stream
LAST TIME OUT
UCSB played a pair of matches in San Antonio last weekend, winning both by a 5-2 scoreline. Against the University of New Orleans on Friday, the Gauchos won the final five points of the match, all in singles, to take the win. The next day, UCSB again earned all five of their points in singles play, taking down UTSA, who played host for the weekend. Phillip Jordan was recognized for his strong performances in San Antonio, being named Big West Men's Tennis Player of the Week.
HISTORY
The Lions and Gauchos are near-permanent fixtures on each other's schedules, having met 19 times since 2000. UCSB has won 18 of those matches, including each of the last six. Last season's rendition was a 4-3 victory in which the Gauchos won on the top four singles courts. Phillip Jordan, Pablo Masjuan, Kai Brady, and Gianluca Brunkow all helped tame the Lions last season in Los Angeles.
ABOUT THE GAUCHOS
Roster | Schedule
Overall Record: 7-0
Big West: 0-0
Home: 2-0
Away: 2-0
Neutral: 3-0
Against Ranked Opponents: 0-0
ITA Ranking: N/A
Streak: W7
ABOUT THE LIONS
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall Record: 2-1
West Coast: 0-0
Home: 1-0
Away: 1-1
Neutral: 0-0
Against Ranked Opponents: 0-0
ITA Ranking: N/A
Streak: W1
UP NEXT
The Gauchos are home again for their next match, hosting Boise State at the Arnhold Tennis Center on Friday, February 17. First serve against the Broncos is set for 1 p.m. A live stream will be available through ucsbgauchos.com.
RANKING UP
UC Santa Barbara is home to some of the most talented collegiate tennis players in the nation, with Pablo Masjuan, Phillip Jordan, and Kai Brady all earning spots in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's national player rankings. Masjuan is ranked 81st among all Division-I singles players, while Jordan and Brady are 28th among all D-I doubles partnerships.
JORDAN NAMED BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK (FEB. 8)
Senior Phillip Jordan earned his fourth career Big West Player of the Week award following strong performances against New Orleans and UTSA. The redshirt junior went 2-0 at the top singles position against the Privateers and Roadrunners to help UCSB extend their unbeaten run to seven dual matches. To read more, click here.
GETTING BACK TO THE MOUNTAINTOP
After a bitter end to the 2022 season, the Gauchos will look to win one match more in 2023 and reclaim The Big West Championship crown. UCSB went 17-6 in 2022, winning all 10 of their home matches, but their season ended in defeat to UC Irvine in the final match of The Big West Championship. The Gauchos had won a record six consecutive Big West Championships, from 2015-2021, and will look to return to the mountaintop in 2023 with their seventh conference title in eight seasons.
FALL RECAP
A number of Gauchos took part in October tournaments, making multiple deep runs in both doubles and singles. Pablo Masjuan finished second overall in singles at the UCSB Classic, where Gianluca Brunkow and Alexander Watanabe Eriksson took third in the doubles bracket. There was more doubles success to be had at the ITA Southwest Championships, with Phillip Jordan and Kai Brady reaching the semifinals. Masjuan was back on the podium at the UTSA SoCal Intercollegiate Championships, taking home the silver in singles and with Luka Mrsic in doubles. Masjuan came in at #77 in the ITA singles rankings in November.
MULLER READY FOR YEAR TWO AT THE HELM
The 2023 season is Blake Muller's second as head coach at UC Santa Barbara and his ninth total with the program. The Santa Barbara native spent seven years as an assistant coach under Marty Davis, and was named head coach in August 2021, following Davis's retirement. In 2019, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association named Muller the Southwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year.
