SANTA CLARA, Calif. - With fall competition in the books and winter break wrapped up, the 2015 dual match season is set to begin for the men's tennis team.
Ranked No. 56 in the nation in the first preseason poll of the year, Santa Clara kicks off the dual match season with a doubleheader this Saturday when they welcome Northern California foes from the University of California, Santa Cruz and Sonoma State University to the Degheri Tennis Center. The Broncos will try to slow down the Banana Slugs when the players take the courts at 10am. Later that afternoon, Santa Clara will do battle with the Seawolves from Sonoma State at 2:30pm.
The Broncos
Behind the leadership of Head Coach Derek Mills and a roster boasting five returning players, the Santa Clara men's tennis team is primed to make another deep run in the West Coast Conference and lock up their second spot in the NCAA Tournament in school history.
Senior Ilya Osintsev will be a focal leader for this year's squad as he embarks on his final dual match season wearing the red and white. Over the course of his Santa Clara career, the 6-foot 4-inch lefty has amassed 52 career singles victories, the WCC Freshman of the Year Award and been named to the All-WCC Second Team and WCC Championships All-Tournament Team.
Fellow senior Sam Bertram will also give the Broncos a solid leader and mentor both on the court and on the training grounds. Last season, the Aussie posted a 13-9 overall record and went 10-7 in dual match play.
Behind the two seniors, Santa Clara will be powered by junior Ashot Khacharyan, ranked No. 122 nationally in singles and No. 6 in the Northwest Region. The Sochi, Russia native is already off to a blistering start in the 2014-15 campaign. Competing against the best competitors in the Northwest Region, Khacharyan cruised past a number of opponents and made his way to singles final at the ITA Regionals in October. The junior is 37-11 in singles matches during his time as a Bronco and will look to shine this winter and spring.
Sophomore Mikheil Khmiadashvili will also look to have a breakout season during his second year on the Mission Campus. As a freshman, the 6 footer amassed an eight match win streak during his 13-7 singles campaign and will surely aim to do improve on that feat this year.
Santa Cruz
Saturday's matchup will be the first dual match action for the Slugs after a lengthy layover since their previous tournament back in the fall. Santa Cruz boasts a young squad consisting of just five upperclassmen on a squad made up of 12 players. Last season, the Broncos made quick work of UCSC in a 4-0 rout. The Slugs finished their last dual match season with a record of 6-11, including a 2-7 mark on the road.
Sonoma State
Saturday will also be the first action of the New Year for the visiting Seawolves from Sonoma State. Last year, Santa Clara cruised past Sonoma State 4-0 in early February. After two pairs of Broncos swept the board with 6-0 victories to capture the doubles point, three Broncos, including Khacharyan and Khmiadashvili, rolled in straight sets to down the Seawolves in singles and take the match. As for this year's version of Sonoma State, they feature a nine man roster consisting of one senior, three juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen. In 2014, the Seawolves finished just under .500 with an 11-13 record, including a 4-6 mark away from home.
The Road Ahead
After Saturday's doubleheader, Santa Clara will head south to take part in the ITA Kick-Off. The Broncos will open up play against the defending national champions from the University of Southern California before challenging the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, the No. 50 ranked squad in the nation.
In early February, the Broncos are set to host the Dons from the University of San Francisco in the opening match of West Coast Conference action. Later in the month, Santa Clara will head north for Eugene, Ore. to challenge the high-flying Ducks from the University of Oregon as well as the Cornhuskers from the University of Nebraska. Last season, Santa Clara upset Oregon in dominating fashion, winning 4-2 against the then No. 39 team in the country.
Four out of the next five matches for the Broncos will consist of non-conference opponents including challenging road stops at Weber State University and San Diego State University.
WCC action kicks into high gear in late March and throughout the month of April. Notable conference matches include a trip to the University of San Diego, last year's WCC champions, on March 29, a home date with the 2013-14 runners up from Pepperdine University on April 4 and a Senior Day matchup against the Portland Pilots on April 19.
Wrapping up 2015, the Broncos will head down to San Diego for the WCC Championships scheduled to be played between April 22 and 25. Hoping to advance out of the highly-competitive WCC, Santa Clara will look to be competing at the NCAA Regional and National Championships in May.
Follow SCU Tennis On Social Media
Check back on SantaClaraBroncos.com for more on this weekend's matches as the Broncos look to start fast in 2015. Stay up to date with Santa Clara men's tennis on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @SCUmtennis. Go Broncos!
