Slugs Still in San Antonia but happy with the Trip

Dear Slug Tennis Fans, Our trip to San Antonio ended with a dramatic 5-4 victory over host Trinity University in a match that went the distance! Senior Brian Pybas showed great shotmaking and mental toughness in winning his doubles match with partner Parker Larsen coming back from an early break to win 8-5. Erich Konig and Sam Rodgers continued their great play of late with a resounding win at third doubles to claim the lead going into singles. Erik Rosner and Ian Stanley had a rough outing at two doubles caused in large part to their opponents great play. In singles Brian Pybas put us up 3-1 with a strong performance at one singles winning 6-4,6-4 playing with great focus and intesity. Parker Larsen dropped a straight set match at third singles to put the Tigers back in the match at 2-3. After dropping the first set Andre Halabi came storming back to win at four singles 6-4 in the third to put us a match away from clinching. Sam Rodgers lead early at five singles but lost his momentum and the match in straight sets as did Erik Rosner at six singles. With the match on the line Soph Erich Koenig was in a third set battle with Senior Bobby Cochenhougher who had beaten Erich in a beautiful match at the ITA National Indoor Team Championships. Erich was at his calm and composed best competing for each point in this highly entertaining match which he won 5-7, 6-4,6-4 to ice the match! I could not be more proud of his effort this weekend as he beat two players that he had lost to earlier this year. With Brian and Erich playing at this level we should have two of the top ranked players in the region. We got to the airport in plenty of time but our plane was delayed to the point where we missed our connecting flight so I am writing this post from and airport hotel. Great weekend where we learned a great deal and beat two of the top teams in our region. Our next big test will come on Thursday as we play Williams College followed by Sonoma State on Saturday. Thanks for all your help and support and Go Slugs! Best wishes, Coaches Hansen and Seeberger

Slugs do Battle in Texas

Dear Slug Tennis Fans,

Nice to escape the rain we have had in California and play some great teams here in San Antonio, TX hosted by Trinity University. In our opener we lost a very close 5-4 match to Washington University of St Louis who also beat us by the same score in the semi finals of the ITA National Indoor Championships. After winning at two and three doubles to enter the singles up 2-1 we dropped three three set matches showing signs of rust and fatigue. Erik Rosner and Ian Stanley continued their great play winning at two doubles 8-3 and Erich Koenig and Sam Rodgers won 8-4 at three doubles. Erik Rosner was first off in singles winning 6-2,6-4 to put us up 3-1. Wash U stormed back with wins at three, one and five singles to put them up 4-3. Erich Koenig stepped up in the third to lock up the match at 4-4 playing super solid tennis. Andre Halabi battled back from a set and 2-5 down to force a third set but ended up falling 6-4 in the final set to decide the match. I was proud of how we battled and the match was great preparation for our annual battle with the Stags of Claremont.

Claremont recently beat Amherst College who was one of the top team in the country which puts them now near the top of the Div lll rankings. As a regional rival this is always a key match for determining who will host the West Regional NCAA first and second rounds. Twice we have played them when we were ranked one and two in the country so it is always on when we play the Stags. Senior Brain Pybas led the way in doubles as he and partner Parker Larsen won 8-5 after being down and early break. We dropped two and three doubles both by scores of 8-6 having chances in both. Claremont is extremely strong in singles and we faced a very uphill fight! Off first again was Erik Rosner who this time lost in straight sets to a very strong Claremont player at six singles. Erich Koenig responded by beating Alex Johnson 6-3,6-3 which was an amazing turnaround from their fall encounter that Johnson won 6-1,6-1. I was super proud of Erich for figuring out this challenging matchup and playing with great determination. Next off was Andre Halabi who beat a very talented senior in Ronald Wu by scores of 6-4,6-4. This was one of Andres best wins to date and shows his marked improvement. In and incredible high level match at one singles senior Brian Pybas beat CMS transfer Alex Lane 7-5,2-6,6-2 to put us within a point of victory. Alex played several years on the pro circuit and has played very well this season so Brian needed to be at his best and responded with an outstanding effort. With the match on the line Soph Parker Larsen came back from a set down to serve for the match at 5-4 in the third against another CMS senior named Russell Brockett. At 30-0 Parker got sick and vomited at the back of the courts before stepping up and icing the victory giving us a 5-3 lead! Great effort by Brian and Parker as they accounted for three of our victories. Sam Rodgers lost a close three setter with the match decided but joined his happy team mates in celebration. We have a very tough challenge tomorrow against host Trinity before heading home but we are very happy! Thanks to all of you for your amazing care and support. Best wishes, Coach Hansen and Seeberger and the men of Slug Tennis

Slugs Continue to Roll with 8-1 Win over Trinity College

Dear Slug Tennis Family and Fans,

After battling rain for the last three days it was nice to finally play some tennis! Thanks to the Trinity team and coaches, it was a really nice visit and we were all rewarded with a great match. Our doubles set the tone with victories by Brian Pybas and Parker Larsen at one doubles 8-5, another dominating performance by Ian Stanley and Erik Rosner at two doubles 8-3, and a solid 8-4 win at three doubles by Erich Koenig and Sam Rodgers. Freshmen Chris Goetz and Bryce Bettwy won at 4 doubles and looked impressive in winning 8-4.

In singles Sam Rodgers set the tone with a dominating 6-0,6-3 victory at five singles and Parker Larsen iced it with a 7-5,6-2 win at three. On their heals were Andre Halabi and Erich Koenig who each won impressively in straight sets. Last off was Erik Rosner who battled to a 6-4,0-6,6-3 win at six singles. Our only loss came at one singles where Senior Brian Pybas lost in three sets.

We are off to Texas on Thursday to play three extremely tough matches as we face Washington University on Fri, who beat us at ITA Indoors earlier this year, Claremont on Saturday, and host Trinity University on Sun. These matches will go a long way towards determining who will host the NCAA regional and shake out the ranking in the top 10. Claremont is coming off a very impressive victory over Amherst College and looks very strong up and down the lineup. I really look forward to this test as it is very similar to an NCAA title run with three very strong opponents in three days.

I am very happy with our progress as our doubles are coming together and each spot in singles is growing in strength. Should make for a very fun and interesting run to the finish line. Thanks for all your support and go Slugs!

Best wishes, Coaches Hansen and Seeberger

Weather makes for Challenging Weekend

Dear Slug Fans,
What was supposed to be a meeting of six teams in Santa Cruz has been reduced to two brave teams from UC Santa Cruz and Trinity CN. With much rain in the forecast the other teams chose not to come so we will look for any break in the weather to get in our match with Trinity. We are very excited to head to Texas later in the week where we will play Washington University of Saint Louis, Claremont, and Trinity TX. More details to follow and keep you fingers crossed for some good weather. Best wishes, Coach Hansen

Slugs Roll over Bulldogs heading into finals

In a wonderful total team effort the Slugs got back to their historic roots and swept the doubles in route to and 8-1 victory at home over the Bulldogs of University of Redlands. Erik Rosner and Ian Stanley continued their amazing stretch of matches of late winning at two doubles by a score of 8-3 against the veteran Bulldog team of Keven Wong and Jeff Hammond. This got us started and was followed by wins at three doubles by Erich Koenig and Sam Rodgers 8-6 and one doubles where Bryan Pybas and Parker Larsen came back from and early break down to win 8-5.

First off in singles was Soph Parker Larsen who won his match handily by scores of 6-2,6-2 looking more and more comfortable on court. The match was iced by Andre Halabi who won at four singles by a score of 6-3,6-3 over his veteran opponent. Andre continues to add to his weapons and his increase speed and strength were on display. Erich Koenig produced and workman like effort at two singles winning 7-5,6-4. Brian Pybas came from a ways back to win a breaker for the third after dropping the first set of his match. Sam Rodgers beat last years highest ranked Div lll freshmen in Redland's Darren Dahl by scores of 7-5,7-5 and showed great tenacity. Our only loss came at six singles where Ian Stanley lost in three sets after winning the first. He has shown great stretches of tennis but still needs to work on dealing with adversity and holding his level.

Overall a wonderful effort as we head into finals. Next up for the Slugs is a series of Div lll home matches after finals and before we head off to Texas for three very tough matches against top 10 rivals Trinity, Claremont and Univ of Washington.

Thanks for your support and great to see Slug Alums Colin Mark-Griffin, Max Liberty-Point, Noah Farb and many family members of our team. Best wishes and go Slugs!

Slugs Roll over Swarthmore!

In a match that always brings fond memories of our first NCAA National Team Championship, the Slugs renewed their long rivalry with Swarthmore College in and 8-1 home victory. In our first action since ITA National Indoors it was great to see the steady growth of our team. We opened the match with dominant performances at 1 and 3 doubles where we have gotten solid efforts all season. Senior Brian Pybas and Soph Parker Larsen won 8-2 at one doubles and Sophs Erik Rosner and Ian Stanley won 8-1 at three. Both teams looked sharp, focused and aggressive as they continue to mesh. At two doubles Soph Erich Konig and Frosh Chris Goetz got out to an early lead but ended up losing in a breaker. They have been playing only a short time together and although I am very proud of their work together and practice effort, they still have a ways to go. Erich hurt his knee near the end of the match and sat out the singles forcing several players to move up in singles. They moved up and stepped up! Brian got us on the board first with a 6-2,6-2 win at one singles. He continues to lead in both singles and doubles and his experience and leadership will be key as the season progresses. Parker Larsen who moved up to two singles, continues to show improvement in his movement, technique and tactics in a solid 6-4,6-2 win. At three singles Andre Halabi moved up and won the last match on in a breaker for the third. All areas of his game continue to grow and his courage to play more aggressively is leading the way. At four singles Erik Rosner was called into duty and responded beautifully with a 6-2,6-1 victory showcasing his improved movement and consistency. At five singles warrior Sam Rodgers competed fiercely in a 6-4,6-2 win. At six singles Ian Stanley showed his improved play of late dominating his match 6-0,6-2 with an impressive blend of offense and consistency. In exhibition singles Bryce Bettwy and Yushi Aybe won convincingly and showed marked growth and improvement.

Overall a wonderful outing and great preparation for our next big match this Saturday against the Bulldogs of Redlands which will be at home at 10:00am. We will play our second team against Foothill College in the afternoon and I look forward to watching all our team play. We would love to have as many of you as possible out to this match against one of our main regional rivals. Thanks again to all of you for your love and support. Sincerely, Coaches Hansen and Seeberger and the Men of Slug Tennis

Whose House?!

The Garnet is coming! The Garnet is coming! Slugs to your battle stations!

Tomorrow at 2pm on the UCSC campus, the men of Slug Tennis will defend their courts against the Swarthmore Garnet.

This is our first match after taking third place at the ITA National tournament and a great opportunity for us to gauge the progress we have made in that time. I am excited to see how our team takes on this worthy opponent, as many of our younger guys stepped up in our final match of the ITA to clinch the bronze for us. Fresh off a win against NYU, the Garnet has some great players, especially juniors Stephen Youngblood and Zak Kelm. It will be a hell of a match and another chance to prove ourselves in our journey for a National title. Anyone in the area is encouraged to come support us as we show the Garnet just whose house this is.

Go Slugs!

Coaches Hansen and Seeberger