SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara men's tennis opens the 2017 dual match season on Saturday, Jan. 28 against Holy Names. After their match against Eastern Washington on Jan. 22 being cancelled, the season opener against Holy Names is set to begin at 10 a.m. PT at Degheri Tennis Center. Santa Clara then has a double header on Sunday at 10 a.m. against UC Santa Cruz and at 2 p.m. versus Sonoma State.
"It's the first opportunity for the freshmen to showcase their abilities," head coach Niall Angus said. "They guys worked hard during the fall and now it is a chance to show the athletic department, the alumni and the student body what this team is all about and what they have worked hard to create. We'd like to get the season off to a winning start."
The freshmen duo of Vasileios Iliopoulos and Jesus Tapiador Barajas will return to the court after strong showings in the fall. The quartet of sophomores, Connor Garnett, Andrew Gu, Kamran Khan and Robert Seby will look to continue quality play along with juniors Max Heerinckx and Sebastien Mathieu.
Working on volley's with coach Angus. Season opener on Saturday! #StampedeTogether pic.twitter.com/qFBufoDqbt
— SCU Men's Tennis (@SCUMTennis) January 26, 2017
"The first match is always important," Angus said. "It's a chance to get back to how they were playing last spring. Especially now that we've got a few emerging leaders who have been able to set the culture of the team and I expect them, Rob (Seby) and Connor (Garnett), in particular, to step as our team captains.
Holy Names' match against the Broncos will also be its season opener after having a match against Saint Mary's on Jan. 21 being postponed due to rain. Sonoma State played an exhibition match at Saint Mary's on Jan. 16 and fell 7-0. UC Santa Cruz will be playing its third match of the season against the Broncos. The Banana Slugs won at Westmont (Jan. 15), 7-2 and fell at USC (Jan. 16), 6-1. Santa Cruz also fell victim to the weather and had a match cancelled against Saint Mary's on Jan. 21.
PARKING: On Friday, parking on campus will be subject to normal daily rates or restrictions, including the main structure, located on Palm Drive. During the weekend, campus parking facilities are free (except for permit required locations). Click here for a campus map and parking restrictions.
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