February 9, 1999
THIS WEEK:
Thursday, Feb. 11
vs. UCSB
1:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 13
vs. Northwestern
Noon
Sunday, Feb. 14
vs. Rice
11 a.m.
A QUICK LOOK AT CAL: The California men's tennis team returns to dual match play this week after taking a break from head-to-head competition to participate in the San Diego Intercollegiates, hosted by the University of San Diego. The 25th-ranked Bears (1-2) were led by freshmen Chris Lewis and David Tzou. Lewis, the Flight Two Singles champion, teamed up with Tzou in doubles competition where the pair narrowly missed qualifying for the Flight Two Doubles Final, losing to host USD's tandem of Taylor and Bourne, 9-7, in the semifinals. Sophomore Scott Kintz was also impressive, winning his first two matches before losing in the tournament semifinals to eventual Flight One Singles champion Doug Papadia, 7-6, 6-4.
UCSB DUE FOR A WIN: The 31st-ranked Guachos (0-3) come to northern California hungry for a win, having lost their first three dual matches to No. 15 USC, 0-7, No. 28 Tulane, 1-6, and No. 41 BYU, 2-5. UC Santa Barbara is led by junior singles player Simon Shen, who is currently ranked 76th in the nation with a 2-1 dual match record. Shen pairs with senior Corey Guy to form the No. 46 doubles team in the country. The Gauchos take on St. Mary's on Feb. 10 before arriving in Berkeley for their match against the Bears. Cal leads the overall series 8-2. Last year, the Bears defeated then 24th-ranked UC Santa Barbara, 4-2 in a Feb. 21 matchup that was played at the San Francisco Tennis Club.
NU HOPING TO ERASE MINNESOTA LOSS: The 37th-ranked Wildcats (2-1) will attempt to bounce back from a 6-3 loss to 23rd-ranked Minnesota when they come to Calon Saturday. Northwestern is led by the 23rd-ranked doubles team of Martin Bengtsson and Doug Bohaboy, but last week the pair dropped their dual match against Minnesota's tandem of Chicoine and Michalowski, 8-4. Bohaboy also ranks 48th amongst singles players. Cal leads the Wildcats in the series, 3-0. Cal and Northwestern last met in 1991, when the Bears blanked the Wildcats, 9-0.
USTENDAG WITH RICE: The 49th-ranked Owls owe much of their success thus far this season to the play of senior Efe Ustendag. Currently ranked 15th amongst singles players, Ustendag most recently competed in the Rolex Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament, advancing to the semifinals before losing to Washington's Robert Kendrick, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4. Ustendag also teams with Shane Stone to form the 21st best doubles team in the country. The only time Cal has ever faced Rice in dual play was in 1973; the Bears walked away with a 7-2 victory.
BARNES/SANTOSO LEAD DOUBLES ATTACK: A non-existant doubles team just two weeks ago, No. 1 and No. 2 singles players Adrian Barnes and Chris Santoso have since teamed up to form Cal's top doubles threat. In their debut against SMU, Barnes/Santoso defeated the 7th-ranked doubles team of Dustin Mauck and Keith Pollak, 9-7. Last week, the pair dropped a No. 1 dual matchup to Washington's Eric Drew and Robert Kendrick, but the pair could have a chance to redeem themselves as they will most likely face three top fifty doubles teams this week.
LEWIS SHINES AT SAN DIEGO TOURNAMENT: Cal's No. 5 singles player Chris Lewis was impressive this weekend in the San Diego Intercollegiates Tournament. Lewis had little trouble advancing to the Flight Two Singles Final where he defeated San Diego State's Travis Hasson, 6-4, 6-2, to take the title.
THE COACHES: Cal's Peter Wright is in his sixth season as head coach of the Golden Bears. Since taking the reins of the Cal men's tennis program in the fall of 1993, Wright has registered a 66-50 (.517) dual match record and led the Bears into the postseason five consecutive years, including two Sweet 16 appearances. Joining Wright for his first season on the Bears coaching staff is former Cal great, Marty Davis. A three-time All-American from 1977 to '80 at Cal, Davis played 11 years on the ATP Tour and achieved a career-best No. 47 world ranking in 1985. Cordell Ho, Cal's associate Head Coach for the past five seasons, will serve as a volunteer coach with the Bears in 1999.
