Ryan ChartrandThe Cal Poly men’s tennis team ended its season Sunday with a 4-2 loss to UC Santa Barbara in the men’s Big West Conference Tournament championship match.
The Gauchos’ victory was their second consecutive title and fourth in six years.
UCSB squeaked by Cal Poly in doubles when the Gauchos used a five-point run to break an 8-8 tie, pushing them to the 1-0 match lead.
The Mustangs took an early lead in singles, as both Matt Baca and Rob Foy pulled in wins. Just as Cal Poly settled into its 2-1 cushion, the Gauchos’ Jack Hui tied the match with 6-2 and 6-3 wins over Fred DeWitte at No. 4 singles. Facing each other in singles, UCSB’s Anders Dalskov defeated Darryn Young in two of three sets, clinching a Gaucho victory.
UCSB awaits its selection and seeding for the NCAA Tournament, which begins May 11.
With the season over, the Mustangs fell to 11-13 overall and 4-1 in the Big West. UCSB improved to 6-18 overall.
Long Beach State clinched its fourth consecutive women’s title with a 4-0 victory over Cal Poly on Sunday.
The win was the 49ers’ fifth in six years, tying for second all-time in the Big West record book. The only recent title loss came at the hands of the Mustangs in 2003.
With the win Sunday, LBSU improved to 17-8 overall and the Mustangs concluded their season at 9-12.
The 49ers took the upper hand in doubles with wins at No. 1 and No. 3. In singles, Cal Poly challenged the 49ers at the top of the ladder but couldn’t muster any wins.
LBSU will hear of its selection and seeding for the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday. The tournament takes place from May 11 to 13.
The selection show will be broadcast on ESPNews from 2:30 to 3 p.m. Tuesday.