March 8, 2006
San Francisco, Calif. - After having their 16-game home wining streak snapped by Cal Poly last Saturday, the Santa Clara men's tennis team got together the following day and had a long talk to evaluate their performance thus far into the season. And the result of the heart-to-heart meeting has been nothing short of amazing, as the Broncos powered their way to an inspirational win over West Coast Conference rival San Francisco. Jan Macek and Kevin McQuaid led the way with victories in both singles and doubles in the 5-2 triumph.
"It was a great team effort after Saturday's loss to Cal Poly. We had two great practices since then and it's great to sweep San Francisco this season," proclaimed head coach George Husack.
Santa Clara returns to action on Sunday when it travels to Moraga, Calif. to face fellow WCC foe Saint Mary's. Game time is set for noon.
Santa Clara got off to a strong start to the dual match after capturing the doubles point. Brian Brogan and Macek defeated Mitch Del Rosario and Fernando Rodriguez 8-3 at the No. 2 spot, but Falko Huettenberger and Thong Tu tied things up after an 8-3 victory over Chris Iwamura and A.J. Kerin on Court 3. However, McQuaid and Shields took out Matthew Berry and Korbinian Kramer 8-3 at the No. 1 position to give SCU the one-point edge.
In singles, McQuaid put the Broncos up 2-0 with his 6-3, 7-6 (4) triumph over Rodriguez at the No. 3 spot, but Huettenberger cut the lead to one with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Brogan on Court 2. Macek set his team back on the right track after he defeated Berry 7-6 (1), 6-3 at the No. 1 spot and Tommy Hicks clinched the match with a dramatic victory over Kramer at the No. 4 spot.
After winning the first set easily 6-2, Hicks found himself down 4-1 in the second set. However, he buckled down and was able to force a tiebreaker. Kramer got out to a 4-0 advantage in the tiebreaker, but Hicks was once again able to rally and found himself with a match point at 6-5. After possessing two more match points, Hicks was facing a set point after Kramer went up 9-8. In the end, the gritty play of Hicks was able to wear down Kramer, as Hicks won the next three points to take the tiebreaker 11-9 and the match. Santa Clara and San Francisco split the remaining matches to account for the final margin.
Santa Clara 5, San Francisco 2
Doubles (Santa Clara wins the doubles point)
1. Kevin McQuaid/Blane Shields (SCU) def. Matthew Berry/Korbinian Kramer (USF), 8-3
2. Brian Brogan/Jan Macek (SCU) def. Mitch Del Rosario/Fernando Rodriguez (USF), 8-2
3. Falko Huettenberger/Thong Tu (USF) def. Chris Iwamura/A.J. Kerin (SCU), 8-3
Singles
1. Jan Macek (SCU) def. Matthew Berry (USF), 7-6 (1), 6-3
2. Falko Huettenberger (USF) def. Brian Brogan (SCU), 6-4, 6-3
3. Kevin McQuaid (SCU) def. Fernando Rodriguez (USF), 6-3, 7-6 (4)
4. Tommy Hicks (SCU) def. Korbinian Kramer (USF), 6-2, 7-6 (9)
5. Blane Shields (SCU) def. Rafael Corazza (USF), 6-7 (3), 6-4, 1-0 (4)
6. Thong Tu (USF) def. A.J. Kerin (SCU), 6-3, 6-1