SANTA CLARA, Calif. - With final exams in the books and spring break in full swing, the Santa Clara men's tennis team will return to action Tuesday afternoon at 2 p.m. The Broncos will host the Hawks from Holy Names University.
This is the first match in nearly two and a half weeks for the Bronco squad. Boasting a 4-7 record on the year, the Broncos will look to break their losing skid when they take to their home courts against their local foes from Oakland, Calif.
The Broncos
Despite currently suffering through a five match losing streak, the Broncos are 3-2 while playing on their home courts this season. Santa Clara will look to improve that total when they play a Holy Names squad that is 1-7 on the road so far in the spring season.
The Broncos will look to continue to ride the performances from their veteran competitors. Ashot Khacharyan leads the squad with a 13-5 record in singles play competing exclusively on Court 1. In his last match, he broke a three-match losing streak with a come-from-behind victory over Brigham Young University's Francis Sargeant.
Khacharyan's fellow Russian teammate, Ilya Osintsev, is fresh off winning his first West Coast Conference Player of the Week award of the year after picking up two victories in his last two outings. The senior is 9-5 on the year and 7-2 in dual match play.
Sophomore Mikheil Khmiadashvili has solidified his role at the No. 3 singles position. The Tbilisi, Georgia native is 8-4 during his sophomore campaign, including a 6-3 mark in dual match play. He will look to rebound after falling in a tightly-contested three-set match in his last time out on the court. Following losses this season, the resilient sophomore has posted a perfect 3-0 record.
Sam Bertram will also look to get back to his winning ways this Tuesday. After starting the season 5-5, the senior has fallen in his previous three matches.
Rounding out singles play will be freshmen Sebastien Mathieu and Max Heerinckx. Both newcomers will be searching for their first collegiate victories in singles play when they take the courts at the Degheri Tennis Center.
In doubles, Osintsev and Bertram lead the Broncos with a 4-2 record competing at the No. 2 position. They will aim to grab a doubles victory in addition to cheering on their fellow teammates on Court 1 and Court 3. At the No. 1 position, the Eastern European tandem of Khacharyan and Khmiadashvili is 1-3 on the year and will look to break their two match losing skid. The Santa Clara pairing on Court 3 will also look to get back in the win column for the first time since mid-January.
At the coaching level, Santa Clara Head Coach Derek Mills is one win away from capturing his 100th career victory as the leader of the Broncos.
Holy Names
The Hawks from Holy Names enter Tuesday's contest with a 4-8 record on the year. They had previously been suffering through a four-match losing streak before defeating the University of Hawaii at Hilo 7-2 on Sunday.
Before making the quick trip to the Degheri Tennis Center on Tuesday, the Hawks will face Hawaii once more this afternoon.
Leading Holy Names at the No. 1 singles position is Tracy Beblie. The 6-foot, 2-inch senior is 5-7 on the season and recently defeated his Hawaii opponent on Sunday by a score of 6-4, 7-6. Matthew Halligan and Rafael Martinez have split time at the No. 2 and No. 3 singles positions and boast a combined record of 10-12 at those positions.
Brook Workeneh leads the Hawks with a 6-4 record in singles. The senior from Oakland, Calif. spends most of his time competing at the No. 4 spot and is currently riding a three-match winning streak.
Four Hawk teammates have shared time in the final two singles positions, collecting a combined record of 9-14 in the spring. Jonah Tahilan and Adam Duong, competing at the No. 5 and No. 5 position respectively, were both knocked off on Sunday.
Halligan and Martinez also pair up in doubles at the No. 1 position for the Hawks. They are 2-7 on year but recently picked up a victory against Hawaii to get back in the win column. Beblie and Duong have competed exclusively at the No. 2 doubles spot and are 4-8 on the year. Three different duos have suited up to play at the No. 3 doubles position, all combining to tally a 5-6 record.
