Slugs roll to Ojai Tournament

Dear Slug Tennis Fans,

Our annual voyage to Ojai starts tomorrow as we leave Santa Cruz for what is always a wonderful challenge. Ojai has been the sight of many wonderful tournaments for our team as it seems to bring out the best in our players. Many of our Southern California players have a personal history with the event and all look forward to the opportunity this tournament provides.

We have some very tough draws but I know we will rise to the occasion as our training has been solid and our motivation is high. Brian Pybas enters the tournament as the top seed in singles and in doubles with partner Parker Larsen. Brian burst onto the national scene as a freshmen at this event when he reached the finals before falling in three sets to four time Ojai winner and our assistant coach Matt Seeberger. Last year Brian won the singles and he is a past doubles winner teaming with team mate Max Ortiz in 2008. Erich Koenig is the fifth seed and is primed and ready for this event. Parker Larsen is also seeded and opens with a player from Claremont. Others competing in singles are Andre Halabi, Sam Rodgers, Erik Rosner, Yushi Ayabe, and Ian Stanley. To see the draws or follow the singles action the web address is: http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/Draws/EventDraw.aspx?T=99868&E=9&D=M&S=1

In doubles Erik Rosner and Ian Stanley are seeded in addition to Brian and Parker. Erich Koenig and Sam Rodgers and Andre Halabi and Bryce Bettwy round out our doubles lineup. Doubles draws and results can be found at: http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/Draws/EventDraw.aspx?T=99868&E=10

I am very excited to take this crew to the 103rd Ojai Championships, an event that has always been a special part of our season. Hope some of you can join us and many will follow our progress online. Best wishes and thanks for your support.

Coaches Hansen and Seeberger

Slugs Finish Div lll Schedule with a Flourish

Dear Slug Fans,

We arrived home Sunday morning at 3:00am bleary eyed but happy after finishing our Div lll dual match schedule with three wins to wrap up the top spot in the region. On Friday we beat Cal Tech 9-0 and were able to play almost everyone that made the trip. Erik Rosner and Ian Stanley won at one doubles, Bryce Bettwy and Chris Goetz won at two doubles and Josh Mason and Jordan Randolf won at three doubles. In singles Sam Rodgers led the singles sweep followed by Ian, Erik, Bryce, Josh and Chris.

Next up was the big one vs Pomona Pitzer who came into the match ranked 8th in the country with a 15-2 record. I am a huge fan of their coach Ben Belletto who has help me run the NIKE Santa Cruz Tennis Camp for the past 10 years. He has been headed in this direction for years but this year it has come together for he and his program. We jumped out to an early lead in all three doubles and it looked like we were off to the races in this match with big implications on hosting the NCAA regional. The Hens fought hard and were able to turn around the early leads at one and two doubles to win 8-6 at one and 9-7 at two doubles to take a lead into the singles. Erich Koenig and Sam Rodgers continued their strong play of late in winning 8-4 at three doubles. With our backs to the wall we came out firing in singles! First off was Erich Koenig who showed that he is one of the top players in our region in defeating Chris Wiechert 6-3,6-0. Chris has had a fantastic season having lost only two matches and none by this convincing a score. Next off was Yushi Ayabe who won 6-4,6-3 at six singles putting us up 3-2. Brian Pybas started super strong in the first set winning 6-2 and then held strong to win the second in a tiebreaker to put us within one win of clinching. After losing the first set Parker Larsen righted the ship and iced the match with a 4-6,6-0,6-3 win at three singles. Andre Halabi got on the board with a 6-4,7-6 win at four singles hitting more winners that ever showing off his improved offense. With the match decided Sam Rodgers lost a very close tiebreaker for the third set against fellow tennis camp staffer Max Sabel in a beautifully played match by both players. In exhibition matches Chris Goetz and Bryce Bettwy posted a win in doubles and Jordan Randolf won in singles.

Against Chapman University we played our top three doubles teams and rolled to a 3-0 lead with Brian and Parker winning 8-4 at one, Erik and Ian winning 8-6 at two and Erich and Sam winning 8-2 at three. In singles Yushi Ayabe led the way with a straight set win at one singles to remain undefeated. At two singles Ian Stanley bounced back from a first set loss to dominate the second and third sets in a 3-6,6-1,6-1 victory. Erik Rosner, Bryce Bettwy, Josh Mason and Chris Goetz all won in straight sets showing our team strength and massive improvement throughout the lineup in this 9-0 victory.

Special thanks to all our wonderful fans!!! Special thanks to the Koenig family for the amazing pre-Pomona dinner at Outback and for all their support at the match. It was wonderful to see Jimmy Shapiro, father of Slug great Bryan Shapiro, who also paid us a visit with his family. Their support past and present has been amazing. Great to see alum Rob Horsh with much appreciation for all his wonderful support. Great to see support from the Stanleys,Rosners, Bettwys, Ayabes and all our other fans including team Simmons. All this made for a very wonderful weekend.

With our dual match season complete, we have much to look forward to as our season should continue at home as we have won the right to host the first couple rounds of the NCAA tournament on May 13-15. As always we will face the toughest competition of any regional with at least three top ten teams. I sincerely hope many of you will join us for these amazing matches. Next up will be the Ojai Championships on April 29th-May 1st which should be another great test for our team. I will preview this event when the draws are posted.

Thanks again for all your support and Go Slugs! Best wishes, Coach Hansen and Seeberger

Concordia Match move back

To any Slug fans in the area, our match with Concordia University got moved back from 10am to 11:30 due to on campus Chapel. Moving the match later will necessitate a shortened format in order to get up to Pasadena for our match with Cal Tech at 3:30. We may have to send part of the team ahead for the second match and have the rest of us catch up after the Concordia match. Best wishes and go Slugs! Coach Hansen

Oops!

Unfortunately the magic of the Cruz chant cannot be properly transferred via email. We have managed to secure a little bit of the magic on our blog page, and if you haven't yet checked it out now is the perfect time. Just click on the blue link titled "Slug Tennis Nation" at the bottom of this email and you will be redirected to our blog page where you can view the Cruz chant in all its glory.

Thanks, and Go Slugs!

A Little Something Special

There is an ancient war cry that causes the blood to chill, birds to take flight, and hardened criminals to cower in fear. Likened to the Haka performed by the aboriginal Mãroi later adopted by the New Zealand national rugby team, it is a display of sheer power and unwavering courage. It is said that the chant calls the spirits of the redwoods to aid the fighting Banana Slugs as they venture forth into battle.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the Cruz Chant.

Slugs Roll to So Cal for weekend matches

Dear Slug Tennis Fans,

We hit the road tomorrow for a two day, four match trip to Southern California which will wrap up our scheduled dual match season. I am very excited about this trip as we will take all our able bodies and hopefully get everyone a chance to play. On Friday we play #9 ranked NAIA Concordia University of Irvine at 10:00am. This match was previously scheduled for 12 but was moved up to accommodate our 3:30 start at Cal Tech. On Saturday we play #8 ranked Pomona Pitzer at 10am before heading off to Chapman University where we hope to get started at 3:00pm.

Pomona Pitzer is having an off the charts good year and represents the biggest challenge to our hosting the NCAA early rounds as the top team from our region. They have beaten several teams this year that they have not beaten for quite some time and are in the top ten in the country for the first time in many years. If you had to pick a match to watch of the four this would be the one. We could certainly use the support and as always it is most appreciated!

The team continues to grow and develop as many of our key players are in there second year and much better appreciate the challenges we face. Senior Brian Pybas has always been a very good big match player and his leadership in singles and doubles will be strongly needed down this stretch run. Erich Koenig continues his breakout season in singles and continues to improve with Sam Rodgers at third doubles. Parker Larsen continues to tighten and strengthen his game which gives him more and more options to go with his strong competitive instincts. Andre Halabi at four has proven more than up to the challenge and continues to add layers of offense to his rock solid foundation. Sam Rodgers continues to improve at an outstanding rate in both singles and doubles as he gets stronger both physically and mentally behind his strong work ethic. Returners Erik Rosner and Ian Stanley will be called on to continue their strong play in doubles and both will be tested on this trip in singles as well. Their maturity has prepared them well for these challenges.

Newcomers Yushi Ayabe and Bryce Bettwy lead the rookies in singles and will be called on to play key matches on this trip along with the returning players. Josh Mason and Chris Goetz will also see matches and I look forward to seeing their improved play put to the test. Both Michael Saria and Jordan Randolf are dealing with injuries but may get the opportunity to play.

Thanks for your support and look for a recap of our trip. Hope to see some of you in So Cal and definitely as the season progresses.

Best wishes, Coach Hansen and Seeberger

Slugs win double bacon vs Sonoma State U and Fresno City College

Another great day of Slug Tennis as the team rolled in two matches against Sonoma State U and Fresno City College by scores of 9-0 and 7-2. Another solid doubles outing set the table in the first match as we won all three matches comfortable winning 8-5 at one, 8-2 at two and 8-2 at three. We have settled in to these teams and we are getting progressively more connected and moving more in sync. Erik Rosner and Ian Stanley were first off at two followed closely by Erich Koenig and Sam Rodgers at three doubles. Brian Pybas and Parker Larsen competed hard and as usual came up with their best tennis towards the end to push it across with a 8-5 win.

In singles Erik Rosner romped at four singles with a 6-1,6-0 victory looking in control from the outset. Parker Larsen was off next with a very solid effort winning 6-3,6-3. Freshman Bryce Bettwy iced the match with a 6-2,6-4 win at six singles and looked very strong. Erich Koenig put us up 6-0 with a routine 6-3,6-3 win at three singles. Brian Pybas and Ian Stanley both won tiebreakers for the third after dropping the first sets in their matches at one and five singles.

In the second match against Fresno City College Brian and Parker won at one doubles 8-5, Erik and Ian lost a close one at two doubles 8-6, and Erich and Sam won at third doubles 8-5. The match was then turned over to the lower part of our normal singles rotation and some of our second team. I always love to see the entire team play and there were some very competitive matches. Andre Halabi beat a very good Australian player named John Bertram at one singles 3-6,6-2,6-0. Andre looked better and better as the match progressed in a fine effort. Sam Rodgers beat a Swedish player named John Karlman 7-5, 6-2 in one of his best matches to date. Sam looked strong from start to finish in this one. Yushi Ayabi won at three singles beating a top fifteen ranked nor cal junior Aswin Kolady 6-3,6-4 in a very solid match. At four singles freshmen Chris Goetz lost to a very good player in straight sets but played well and competed hard. Bryan Nguyen iced the match at five singles winning 7-5,6-4 and shows continued inprovement. At six singles Josh Mason battled to a 6-2,4-6,6-3 win showing great resolve after losing the second set. Overall a great day of Slug tennis that showed growth and improvement across the board especially in our mental toughness. Next up is a road trip involving the entire team where we will play four match in two days in LA on April 15 and 16. The biggest match of the trip will be against Div lll opponent and #8 ranked Pomona Pitzer. Should be a great match which will have implications as to who will host the NCAA Regional. Get ready to rumble Slugs!
Best wishes, Coaches Hansen and Seeberger

Slugs beat third straight top ten team in win over Williams College

Dear Slug Fans,

With a short turnaround from our recent trip to Texas, the Slugs were home to host visiting Williams College in a battle of current top ten teams and historic rivals. Williams won an NCAA team championship on our courts in 2002 after we won an NCAA team championship at their place in 1998. Our teams have had many amazing matches over the years and this year did not disappoint! With both team featuring very young rosters the doubles would prove pivotal. Sophs Erich Koenig and Sam Rodgers got us on the board first with a high energy 8-1 victory at three doubles. They continue to improve with each match competing intensely from start to finish. At two doubles Erik Rosner and Ian Stanley battled back from being an early break down to win 8-5 at two doubles showing the chemistry that led to a seven match win streak earlier in the season. At one doubles Brian Pybas and Parker Larsen set a record for the longest pro set match in Slug history winning 9-7 in one hour and fifty two minutes! It was a back and forth affair with more extended games that any normal match. I was impressed with our resilience and fight throughout.

In singles it did not get any easier. First off was Andre Halabi who continues to impress at four singles winning 6-1, 7-5. The deciding match was won by Parker Larsen at three singles who won 7-6,7-5 to put us up 5-0 and ice the match. Erich Koenig fought of six set points in the first set before winning the tiebreaker and cruzing to a 6-2 second set. Brian Pybas lost a close three setter at one singles to set the stage for much drama on the final matches on at five and six singles. Newcomer to our lineup, Yushi Ayabe, came back from an 0-6 first set to win 7-5 in the third is a very exciting and entertaining match. It was a great effort for his first time in the lineup and I was very proud of his fight and effort against a very quality opponent. At five singles Sam Rodgers fought brilliantly before falling 7-5 in the third in a match packed with drama. It was great to see this quality effort up and down our lineup and my confidence continues to grow as we learn to put forth sustained quality against a strong schedule. Complete scores can be found at http://www.itatennis.com/AwardsAndRankings/Results_Entry/LatestResults.htm?

Tomorrow we play Sonoma State University, Sat April 2nd, at 10:00 at home followed by a match against Fresno City College at 2:30. These matches will give our entire team an opportunity to play which I always love. Thanks for all your support and go Slugs!

Sincerely, Coach Hansen and Seeberger