SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The No. 72-ranked Santa Clara men's tennis will look to get to its winning form this Saturday when it hosts the University of Missouri-Kansas City at 10:30 a.m.
The Broncos (4-4) dropped their last two, falling on the road last weekend to a pair of nationally-ranked foes in Tulsa and Arkansas.
"We need to come out with intensity and a sense of urgency from the get go," said Head Coach Derek Mills. "We need to set a tone and get some momentum rolling to carry us on throughout the rest of the season."
The Broncos
During the last two matches, only one Bronco was able to pick up a victory in singles competing against the University of Tulsa and the University of Arkansas.
Ashot Khacharyan, Santa Clara's lone senior and No. 1 singles position holder, will look to grab his sixth victory of the season this Saturday. To date, Khacharyan has had an up and down year. The Sochi, Russia native won his first two matches in straight sets and dropped his next two matches in similar fashion before capturing victories in his next two contests. In his most recent outing, Khacharyan fell in straight sets.
Robert Seby, having started the season 3-0, is suffering through a rough patch at the No. 2 spot. The freshman has just one win in his last four matches, two of which having ended in three set defeats.
Playing No. 3 singles, Andrew Gu captured a three set victory against the University of Arkansas in his last appearance. The freshman is second on the team with seven singles victories and has a 5-2 record while holding down the third spot in the lineup. Next door on Court 4, Connor Garnett enters Saturday's matchup as Santa Clara's leader with eight singles victories. The freshman fell in straight sets at Arkansas but is 5-2 while claiming responsibility of the No. 4 position.
After starting the season 5-1, Kamran Khan has hit a lull as of late, falling in his last two matches, both in a straight set manner. The Dallas, Texas will look to get back on track and grab his seventh victory of the season this weekend. At the final singles position, Sebastien Mathieu enters this weekend with an even record of 3-3.
On the doubles side, the Broncos fielded a new rotation for the first time this season against Tulsa and Arkansas. Now playing together at the No. 1 position, Khacharyan and Jeffrey Liang are still searching for their first win together after falling twice this past weekend. Similarly, Garnett and Khan are winless at 0-2 after joining forces last weekend.
UMKC
The Kangaroos come to the Mission Campus with a 4-4 record on the season. Despite starting the season 3-0, UMKC dropped its next four matches before bouncing back to defeat Washburn College 6-1 last Saturday. Playing away from home, the Kangaroos are 1-3.
Playing No. 1 singles, Airam Castellano comes in at 13-5 this year. So far this dual match season, the 6-footer is 5-3 and undefeated in his last two outings at the first spot in the Kangaroo lineup. In a stark contrast, Uldis Gaismins is winless in his last five contests while competing at the No. 2 position. The 6-foot, 2-inch junior started the year 3-0 but has been out of sync as of late, falling in straight sets last weekend.
Andrey Smirnov primarily handles duties at the No. 3 singles position. Also standing at 6-feet, 2-inches tall, the senior edged out a 7-6(7-5), 7-6(9-7) victory in his last outing. This season, he is 2-4 while controlling the third spot. Playing at the No. 4 spot, Mike Psarros is also 2-4 while playing at his primary position.
To date, the Kangaroos have seen consistent play at their final two singles positions. At the No. 5 spot, Amaury Navette is 5-2 at that position and riding a two-match winning streak. At No. 6, Marc Santamaria is undefeated at 5-0. This year, the freshman has 12 victories to his name to go along with just one loss.
In doubles, the No. 1 pairing of Castellano and Psarros has been leading the Kangaroos the entire year. The duo is 5-2 overall this dual match season and 10-3 this year. Playing at the second position, Gaismins and Navette are 3-0 since taking over the spot a few weeks ago. At the final doubles spot, four different tandems have seen action this year. Most recently, Smirnov and Vinh Pham collected a 6-3 winner to grab their first victory together.
Parking & Admission: Admission is free to Degheri Tennis Center. Parking should be available in either the Cowell or Casa Italiana lots, which are located just south of the tennis center. With home basketball, baseball and softball events, available campus parking spaces will be limited. Click here for a campus parking map.
