Cal Poly and UC Irvine battle for first place in men's tennis on Saturday as the winner gets the inside track to claiming the top seed in the Big West Tournament.
NOTEWORTHY
Cal Poly, UC Irvine Meet In Crucial Men’s Showdown
The top two teams in the men’s tennis standings face off on Saturday when Cal Poly visits UC Irvine. The winner of the match has the inside track on attaining the No. 1 seed in the Big West Tournament, which takes place April 29-May 2 in Indian Wells, Calif. The first place Anteaters are 2-0 in conference with three of their last four regular season matches against conference opponents. A win over Cal Poly would keep UCI’s undefeated conference mark intact, as well as ensuring that every other competitor had two league losses. The Anteaters would then need to win just one of their last two matches against Pacific or UC Davis to clinch the regular season title and tournament No. 1 seed.
Cal Poly is in position to take over first place with a win over the Anteaters. The Mustangs then travel to UC Riverside on Sunday with an opportunity to close out league action 4-1. That record would ensure Cal Poly no worse than a Big West regular season co-championship. It would also grant the Mustangs the head-to-head tiebreaker against UCI and assure them the No. 1 seed in the tournament. The Anteaters could do no better than tie Cal Poly at 4-1 in the final regular season standings under this scenario.
The Anteaters are aiming to win their third consecutive Big West regular season title after claiming co-championships the previous two seasons. Cal Poly won the title in 2007.
Long Beach State Women Claim Third Straight Regular Season Crown
Long Beach State captured its third Big West women’s tennis regular season championship - and fourth in the last five seasons - thanks to winning a pair of hard fought battles on the Central Coast against No. 55 Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara last weekend.
The 49ers moved to 7-0 in league play after defeating the Mustangs and Gauchos by identical 5-2 scores. LBSU extended its winning streak in Big West regular season matches to 26 straight. The 49ers last lost in conference play to UC Irvine on March 1, 2007.
With the wins, Long Beach State crept up the Campbell’s Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings to a season-best No. 33 in the country. The 49ers are 15-3 overall. They attempt to finish Big West play undefeated at 8-0 for the third straight season when they visit Cal State Northridge Saturday. There is also a huge battle brewing for second place between Cal Poly, UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara.
Teams Also Earning Recognition In Rankings
Long Beach State is the highest ranked Big West team on the men’s or women’s side at No. 38 Cal Poly fell just slightly to No. 58 while an injury-riddled Anteater squad is No. 72. On the men’s side, UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara moved up in the ITA rankings to No. 53 and No. 61, respectively. UCSB dispatched its third ranked non-conference opponent of the season on Thursday when it blanked No. 72 Oregon, 7-0.
Indian Wells To Host Big West Tennis Championships
For the seventh straight year, Indian Wells Tennis Garden is hosting the Big West Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championship. One of the most prestigious facilities in the United States, Indian Wells will host the six men’s and nine women’s teams from April 29-May 2. The Long Beach State women and UC Santa Barbara men took home the 2009 crowns. The 49ers have won all six previous years the championship has been in Indian Wells, while the Gauchos have captured four straight titles on the men’s side.