UC Santa Barbara's Therp Returns From Injury To Post Win
UC Santa Barbara freshman Philip Therp (Birkeroed, Denmark) claimed the Big West Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week award, returning to the court after missing six weeks with a left wrist injury. Therp won in his first match back at the No. 3 singles position.
Playing one-handed for the first time in his career, Therp posted a 6-3, 7-6 victory over Dartmouth's Jeff Schechtman. Despite the Gauchos' 5-2 loss to Dartmouth, Therp's return was a definite bright spot for a team that has been decimated by injuries this season.
Despite missing all that time, Therp is ranked No. 94 in the FILA Collegiate Tennis Rankings.
Grady Helps Long Beach State to Two Wins Over Nationally Ranked Foes
Long Beach State sophomore Hannah Grady (Coventry, England) earned Big West Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week honors for her performances in a pair of wins over nationally ranked opponents. She posted a combined 4-0 record at No. 1 singles and No. 2 doubles as the 49ers defeated No. 57 Nevada (5-2) and No. 64 Princeton (6-1).
Grady tallied a 6-2, 6-3 victory over the WolfPack's Maria Mizyuk on Wednesday to start the week. On Thursday, Grady came back with a 6-3, 6-3 win over the Tigers' Melissa Salontz. Grady, ranked No. 119 in the nation in singles, won both doubles matches with partner Jessica Weeks.
Top Women's Teams UCI and LBSU Hit The Road
After long successful homestands, the UC Irvine and Long Beach State women's tennis teams find out if they can duplicate that success under tough road conditions this week.
Both squads are ranked, with UCI leading the way at No. 31 and LBSU following at No. 44. The Anteaters beat five ranked opponents - No. 56 Sacramento State, No. 35 Long Beach State, No. 37 Pennsylvania, No. 71 Yale and No. 53 New Mexico - during an unbeaten nine-match homestand that extended UCI's win streak to 11 straight. UCI, which is coming off of finals week, plays just one match this week but it's a doozy. The opponent is 15th-ranked Fresno State, and the match with the Bulldogs will mark the third top 15 foe the Anteaters will have faced this season.
Long Beach State begins a season-long six-match roadtrip on the heels of a just completed six-match home swing. The 49ers finished the homestand 5-1, tangling with five consecutive ranked opponents along the way. They defeated No. 40 Pennsylvania, No. 52 Iowa, No. 57 Nevada and No. 64 Princeton, with the only setback coming to No. 24 Virginia Commonwealth. LBSU's roadtrip stays local this week with matches at Loyola Marymount and No. 19 Pepperdine, before embarking next week on a trip to the east coast to face Brown and Boston College.
Only two Big West women's matches are on tap and both involve Pacific. The Tigers host Cal Poly on Wednesday and UC Santa Barbara on Sunday. UCSB is a half-match behind LBSU for second place in the league standings. Pacific, at 1-2 in league play, is tied for the fewest number of Big West matches played so far.
Three men's teams are in action this week, two of which are involved in tournaments. Cal Poly travels to the Boise State Red Lion Spring Break Tournament, a 16-team, double-elimination event held at three different sites around Boise, Idaho. The Mustangs open with No. 60 Georgia State. Due to last minute withdrawals, UCI hosts a shortened Anteater Invitational, meeting UAB on Friday. UC Riverside is in the midst of a four-match east coast roadtrip, needing one win for 10 on the season.