The No. 62 UCSB men’s tennis team got off to a rough start in their season opener as they dropped a disappointing 6-1 match to No. 37 Boise State on Saturday afternoon at the UCSB Recreation Center courts.
Junior Scott Hohenstein came away with the only Gaucho victory on the day, defeating No. 85 Stanley Sarapanich at the No. 5 spot. The match went into a nail biting final set tie-breaker, but Hohenstein outlasted his foe notching a 6-3, 3-6, (14-12) victory.
“It was great to see Hohenstein pick up a win against a nationally ranked player,” coach Marty Davis said. “He has been coming on real strong lately and I hope he continues his streak.”
Philip Therp and Alex Konigsfeldt were both on pace to upset nationally ranked players, but the two Gauchos fell short by just a few points. Therp came up just shy against No. 23 Clancy Shields in a heart wrenching 5-7, 6-3, (10-7) loss at the No. 1 position. At the No. 2 slot, the match was even closer as Konigsfeldt found himself within two points of seizing a huge Gaucho upset. However, No. 90 Kean Feeder shut the door with a cross court winner to seal a 6-4, 4-6, (10-8) win.
Senior Max Taylor made his first career appearance at the No. 3 slot, but was overwhelmed by Boise State’s Christian Model, 6-2, 6-2.
At the bottom of the line-up, both Taylor Chavez Goggin and freshman newcomer Devin Nerenberg both dropped their match against a tough Boise State team.
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In doubles competition, the Gauchos struggled at every position as Boise State swept the doubles point. Nick Caledonia made his first appearance as a Gaucho at the No. 3 slot, but lost in a close 8-6 match.
UCSB drops to 0-1 on the season. The Gauchos now hit the road for three weeks, starting with the National Team Indoors in Austin, TX, this weekend. It will be the first appearance for UCSB at the National Indoors.
Doubles
1. Feeder/Meredith def. Therp/Hohenstein, 8-3
2. Sarapanich/C. Shields def. Konigsfeldt/Finkelstein, 8-1
3. B. Shields/Solomon def. Chavez Goggin/Nick Caledonia, 8-6
Singles
1. Clancy Shields def. Philip Therp, 5-7, 6-3, (10-7)
2. Kean Feeder def. Alex Konigsfeldt, 6-4, 4-6 (10-8)
3. Cristian Hodel def. Max Taylor, 6-2, 6-2
4. James Meredith def. Taylor Chavez Goggin, 6-0, 6-3
5. Scott Hohenstein def. Stanley Sarapanich, 6-3, 6-3, (14-12)
6. Blaine Shields def. Devin Nerenberg, 6-3, 6-1
