UC Santa Barbara Team Page
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The 68th-ranked UCSB men's tennis team opened up the dual-match portion of their season in dominating fashion Wednesday afternoon, quickly dispatching of their cross town opponents from Westmont College in a 7-0 sweep. The 8th ranked team in the NAIA, Westmont, was no match for the Gauchos who won all six of their singles matches and gained the doubles point to earn their first win of the season.
UCSB saw impressive debuts from freshmen Jacob Johnson and Andrew Riminton, who recently arrived from Sydney, Australia. The two paired up in the #3 doubles match, cruising to an 8-1 victory over Westmont duo Nick Szyndlar and Rodrigo Schaefer. Johnson and Riminton also posted wins in their singles matches playing in the No. 5 and No. 6 spots respectively.
The Gauchos received solid performances from their veterans as well. Seniors Benjamin Recknagel and Mbonisi Ndimande defeated Tim Goranson and John Bertram 8-4 in the #1 doubles match. Recknagel then went on to beat Tim Goranson in singles 6-4, 6-2 at the No. 1 spot and Ndimande posted a straight set win 6-1, 6-1 over Schaefer at the No. 2 position. Sophomore Axel Bouillin and junior Sasha Gryaznov completed the UCSB sweep, recording wins in the No. 3 and No. 4 slots respectively.
The Gauchos will perhaps face their most difficult test of the season next week when they travel to Los Angeles to face 3rd-ranked UCLA for the Bruins' season opener. The match is set to begin at 1:30PM (PST) on January 23 at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.
DOUBLES
#1 Recknagel/Ndimande (UCSB) def. Goranson/Bertram (West) 8-4
#2 Gryaznov/Bouillin (UCSB) def. Schaefer/Barnard (West) DNF
#3 Riminton/Johnson (UCSB) def. Szyndlar/Dickey (West) 8-1
SINGLES
#1 Benjamin Recknagel (UCSB) def. Tim Goranson (West) 6-4, 6-2
#2 Mbonisi Ndimande (UCSB) def. Rodrigo Schaefer (West) 6-1, 6-1
#3 Axel Bouillin (UCSB) def. John Bertram (West) 6-1, 6-2
#4 Sasha Gryaznov def. Josh Barnard (West) 6-0, 6-4
#5 Jacob Johnson def. Nick Szyndlar (West) 6-1, 6-0
#6 Andrew Riminton def. Gerrit Dickey (West) 6-0, 6-1
UCSB SEASON RECORD: 1-0; BIG WEST 0-0
