UCSB played a flawless game against No. 72 Oregon on Thursday, sweeping the Ducks 7-0. The Gauchos have now won three matches in a row and move to a record of 10-9 for the season.
Though the Gauchos lost in No. 1 Doubles, they took the No. 2 and No. 3 matches to tally the doubles the point. Freshmen Benjamin Recknagel and Lucas Sudow defeated Oregon’s Nico Bjerke and Ric Mortera 8-5, extending their winning streak to six. UCSB’s Scott Hohenstein and Evan Jurgensen also beat Jose Izquierdo and Aaron Clissold 8-4.
The rest of the match was dominated by UCSB. Mathieu Forget was the first to win, crushing his Oregon opponent in two sets without giving up a single game. Lucas Sudow then beat Ric Mortera 7-5, 6-2. Alex Konigsfeldt then assured the win for the Gauchos as he defeated Nico Bjerke in three sets, 3-6, 6-0, 6-1.
With the outcome of the match decided, both Philip Therp and Benjamin Recknagel finished with a match tie-breaker. Both Therp and Recknagel were victorious, bringing the Gauchos to a tremendous lead of 6-0. Therp has now won four of his last six matches in No. 1 Singles. Recknagel, this week’s Big West Athlete of the Week, has now won seven consecutive matches, the longest win streak the Gauchos have seen this season.
The last match to finish was between UCSB’s Scott Hohenstein and Oregon’s Jose Izquierdo. After the splitting the first two sets, Hohenstein defeated Izquiero 6-2 in the third, shutting down the Ducks and sealing the sweep for the Gauchos.
“Everyone played good, tough, sound tennis, and I couldn’t be more excited about our chances against No. 23 Pepperdine,” said Coach Marty Davis.
The Gauchos will hit the road and play Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif. on Saturday. They will return home to the Recreation Center Courts on Sunday to face Loyola Marymount.
UCSB 7, OREGON 0
Doubles
1. Cornelissen/Verdasco def. Konigsfeldt/Chavez Goggin (UCSB) 8-4
2. Sudow/Recknagel (UCSB) def. Bjerke/Mortera 8-5
3. Hohenstein/Jurgensen (UCSB) def. Izquierdo/Clissold 8-4
Singles
1. Philip Therp (UCSB) def. Alex Cornelissen 3-6,6-3 (11-9)
2. Benjamin Recknagel (UCSB) def. Marcos Verdasco 6-4,6-7 (10-6)
3. Lucas Sudow (UCSB) def. Ric Mortera 7-5,6-2
4. Alex Konigsfeldt (UCSB) def. Nico Bjerke 3-6,6-0,6-1
5. Scott Hohenstein (UCSB) def. Jose Izquierdo 6-7,7-5,6-2
6. Mathieu Forget (UCSB) def. Aaron Clissold 6-0,6-0
