SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — After a successful weekend in San Diego, UC Santa Barbara men's tennis is back in Isla Vista this week, opening a four-match homestand against the Utah State Aggies on Thursday afternoon. First serve from Arnhold Tennis Center is set for 1 p.m.
DETAILS
Match 13
Thursday, March 9 | 1 p.m.
#33 UC Santa Barbara (11-1, 1-0 Big West) vs. Utah State (4-7, 0-0 Mountain West)
Arnhold Tennis Center | Santa Barbara, Calif.
Live Stream
HISTORY
The Gauchos and Aggies have met 13 times before, dating all the way back to 1978, with UCSB winning 12 of those 13 duals. The Gauchos have never lost to the Aggies at home, holding an 8-0 record in matches in Santa Barbara. Their lone loss came in 2019, and UCSB has beaten Utah State twice since then, most recently a 4-0 victory in Tempe, Arizona last season.
LAST TIME OUT
UCSB comes into Thursday's match on the back of a fantastic weekend in San Diego, where they won duals against San Diego State and UC San Diego. The Gauchos defeated the Aztecs 4-1 last Thursday, then won their Big West opener against the Tritons, 4-0, on Sunday. Between the two duals, UCSB players took part in the Pacific Coast Doubles Championship, with Pierre Boullenger reaching the finals of the consolation bracket alongside Pepperdine's Robert Shelton. Three other Gaucho pairings made it to the quarterfinals of the tournament.
ABOUT THE GAUCHOS
Roster | Schedule
Overall Record: 11-1
Big West: 1-0
Home: 4-0
Away: 4-1
Neutral: 3-0
Against Ranked Opponents: 0-0
ITA Ranking: 33
Streak: W2
ABOUT THE AGGIES
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall Record: 4-7
Mountain West: 0-0
Home: 3-0
Away: 0-4
Neutral: 1-3
Against Ranked Opponents: 0-1
ITA Ranking: N/A
Streak: W1
UP NEXT
The Gauchos will stay in Santa Barbara for their next three matches, welcoming Yale, Indiana, and Cal to the Arnhold Tennis Center over the next two weeks. The Bulldogs are up first, with Yale paying their visit on Wednesday, March 15. First serve is set for 3 p.m.
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 most recent national player rankings. Masjuan is ranked 110th among all Division-I singles players, while Jordan and Brady are 43rd among all D-I doubles partnerships. As a team, the Gauchos are ranked No. 33 in the country.
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.
