March 25, 2006
Santa Clara, Calif. - Despite the presence of former players and coaches, Santa Clara was unable to overcome a strong and deep Tulsa squad, falling 5-2 this afternoon at the Degheri Tennis Center. The inaugural Santa Clara Men's Tennis Alumni Reunion Day brought together past and present representatives of the program prior to the Tulsa contest and the Broncos were able to use the additional support in a spirited match between the No. 25 Golden Hurricanes.
Santa Clara evens its record to 8-8 on the year and will return to action tomorrow afternoon against Eastern Washington at the Degheri Tennis Center. Game time is set for 3 p.m.
"It was great welcoming back the Broncos to campus. The weather caused a little havoc, but in the end i feel the event was a success," stated head coach George Husack on the Reunion Alumni Day. "These former coaches and players helped create what we have today and to see them cheering on the current team was quite a treat."
With the encouragement of the people who built the Santa Clara program, the current team staked a quick 1-0 lead after doubles thanks to some spirited play. Kevin McQuaid and Blane Shields took out Arnau Brugues and Aleksander Charpantidis 8-4 on Court 1 to, though Andy Connelly and Ross Cunningham evened things up with an 8-3 victory over Brian Brogan and Jan Macek at the No. 2 spot. However, Santa Clara got onto the scoreboard with an 8-5 triumph at the No. 3 position, with A.J. Kerin and Chris Iwamura beating Federico Soriano and Lucques Maasdorp.
"We came out strong in doubles and really played solid to earn the 1-0 lead. The guys were ready to go and their energy certainly showed," noted Husack.
In singles, Tulsa was able to overcome the early deficit with behind its deep singles line-up, highlighted by Brugues, who is ranked No. 6 in the country. The Golden Hurricanes were able to take five of the six singles to win the dual match. The lone singles victory for the Broncos was earned by McQuaid, who beat Charpantidis 6-3, 6-7 (5), 1-0 (6) at the No. 3 position.
"In singles, Tulsa was pretty darn tough. They are one of the hottest teams in the country and there's a reason for their success," commented Husack. "We competed right with them and had chances, but they were better than us today."
Added Husack on his team's performance today: "Final exams can take a lot of a person, but I was really impressed with the way we practiced leading up to this match. We continue to get better and that's important as we head into the last half of the season."
No. 25 Tulsa 5, Santa Clara 2
Doubles (Santa Clara wins the doubles point)
1. Kevin Mcquaid/Blane Shields (SCU) def. Arnua Brugues/Aleksander Charpantidis (UT), 8-4
2. Andy Connelly/Ross Cunningham (UT) def. Brian Brogan/Jan Macek (SCU), 8-3
3. A.J. Kerin/Chris Iwamura (SCU) def. Federico Soriano/Lucques Maasdorp (UT), 8-5
Singles
1. Arnau Brugues (UT) def. Jan Macek (SCU), 6-2, 6-3
2. Federico Soriano (UT) def. Brian Brogan (SCU), 6-3, 6-4
3. Kevin McQuaid (SCU) def. Aleksander charpantidis (UT), 6-3, 6-7(5), 1-0 (6)
4. Ricardo Soriano (UT) def. Tommy Hicks (SCU), 6-3, 6-0
5. Will Gray (UT) def. A.J. Kerin 6-1, 6-3
6. Diego Camacho (UT) def. Blane Shields (SCU), 6-3, 6-2
