Slug Tennis Nation

The Journey Begins...

2011-10-21T14:24:00.001-07:00

Dear Slug Family & Friends,

I want to start by welcoming you to the 2011/2012 season for the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs. As we have recently wrapped up our fall portion it is a nice time to reflect as we begin to look forward to this upcoming season. I am very happy to say that I am entering this season with two remarkable assistant coaches who know Slug Tennis to their very core. Brian Pybas, having finished his playing career here for UCSC this past May, is entering his first season as assistant coach for Slugs. Brian was a key member of three National Championship Teams, and was a three-time singles and three-time doubles All-American selection. He won the NCAA Doubles Championship in the spring of 2010 and recently returned from Europe after earning 10 ATP doubles points this past summer. Matt Seeberger is entering his second season as assistant coach for the Slugs. A 2007 graduate, Matt’s illustrious playing career consisted of 10 National Championships; three team, three doubles, and four singles National Championships. He was a four-time singles and three-time doubles All-American Selection throughout his four years of play. With their playing ability, knowledge of the game, and enthusiasm to lead this team, it is safe to say I have the one of the best coaching staff’s in the country.

We have three new additions to the team this year. Devin Nerenberg, originally from Halfmoon Bay and recent transfer from UC Santa Barbara, has recently begun his junior year here at UC Santa Cruz. Eli Scandalis, a sophomore transfer from the University of San Diego, is also in his first season playing for the Slugs. Chico native Max Littlejohn, the Slugs lone freshman, wraps up our list of new editions to the team. These three young men, both assistant coaches, along with our long list of returning players, comprise a team that I could not be more eager and proud to lead this season. This group is extremely tight and connected, something that will be extremely important for us as we move ahead with our sights aimed high.

Fall ITA Wrap Up:

It would be easy to say the Slugs had a bad weekend at the annual Fall ITA Championships two and a half weeks ago. We didn't win the singles or doubles, and had a lot less of our boys deep into the main draws compared to the norm. As we proceed to take as much information moving forward from this tournament it is also very important for me to point out our many highlights. As our character was tested losing tough matches on the first day of competition the boys bounced back for the next two days, digging in as they pulled out match after match.

Parker Larsen and Erich Koenig had an amazing finish in their quarterfinal doubles match with a 9-7 victory over a tough team from Pomona Pitzer. Erich had lost a tough singles match earlier that day, but he and Parker went on to play stretches of great and very clutch doubles to get them to the semi-finals. Multiple times opposing teams served for the match, and with their backs against the wall Erich and Parker were able to respond. They went on to lose in the semi-final match to CMS’s top doubles team 8-3, but again showed stretches of great play that we will no doubt build off of.

New additions to the team Eli Scandalis and Devin Nerenberg also had a great doubles effort after losing to the eventual winners from Cal Lutheran 8-5. For playing together for such a short time I was very impressed with how connected and comfortable they looked on the doubles court. They went on to win the rest of their doubles matches in the tournament, winning the second round backdraw against strong Slug teammates Erik Rosner and Ian Stanley. Both Ian and Erik, having played together last season, continue to show great stretches of aggressive attacking doubles, taking them to the 2nd round backdraw final.

In singles both Devin and Erik Rosner played tough after losing their first rounds, going on to win four straight singles matches to meet each other in the 1st round back draw final. Ian also had a great effort winning two rounds before losing to a tough freshman from the University of Redlands 7-6, 6-1.

Bryce Bettwy played two solid matches to reach the other semi-final before losing to another tough freshman from the University of Redlands 6-2, 6-2. Michael Saria won a great first round taking down the number 13 seed but lost a tough match to CMS in the following round. It is very impressive seeing these boys determination to improve, along with their willingness to do the work.

Yushi Ayabe and freshman partner Max Littlejohn had a great finish for the Slugs as they beat a tough CMS team in the finals of the 1st round doubles backdraw. This CMS team had won two very close doubles matches against Slug teams Andre Halabi/Bryce Bettwy and Chris Goetz/Josh Mason. These four showed stretches of tough play but were unable to come over the top against this CMS team. With our team behind them Yushi and Max played an amazingly aggressive and gritty doubles match winning 8-6 to conclude our weekend.

In Both Back draws for singles we had 5 of the 8 semi-finalists. In both semi finals for doubles we had 4 of the 8, going on to win both. I was very impressed with the boys resiliency to bounce back after a tough day and compete with such focus and conviction. It was a step in the right direction.

Looking Forward:

I couldn't be happier with this group of young men I am entering my first season with. The things I have seen in previous Slug teams that make them special are ever present in this group. These boys are connected, supportive, and receptive to the coaching staff as they are willing to do the work. With a blend of tough competitors and leadership I am excited to see where we will take this season. It is clear we have a long way to go to meet our goals, but embracing the uphill battle has always been at the heart of Slug Tennis. Thanks again for all your support,

Coach Parmelly

Slug Roots Run Deep

2011-07-22T11:47:00.000-07:00

Dear Slug Family and Friends,

I remember my first visit to UC Santa Cruz, during my senior year of high school. I was travelling up and down the coast visiting schools and tennis programs with my mom and wrapped up my last college visit with intentions of meeting and hopefully impressing, coach Bob Hansen.

At 6:00 am on a Monday morning, I drove up to the east field house and met with Bob. Coffee cup in hand, we walked to the racquetball courts to check out one of his teams’ infamous morning workouts. As he began to talk to me about the history and some of the success stories behind “Slug Tennis,” I saw immediately what made this program special. As we sat and chatted, I watched players of his team engage in a training session with a kind of intensity that I had never seen before. What struck me even more was the fact that they were doing so amidst jokes, smiles, and laughter. They were actually enjoying what they were doing and pushing each other in a way that was remarkable to see. Guys like Brian Casey, Thomas Oechel, Danny Kim, and Nick Cunningham were all showing me what it meant to be a Slug. That day ended with a slap on the butt from Bob as he called me a “hoss.” I was sold.

I have seen Bob Hansen positively affect the lives of more people over the past ten years than I could possibly count. His ability to see the potential in every person he comes across along with the commitment to make that his focus is why he is able to work his magic. He does this with the utmost level of patience and the understanding that change isn’t easy and can only happen in an environment of support and nourishment. For the past 32 years, Bob has been the conductor behind what we all have come to know as “Slug Tennis,” a program where embracing the journey en route to a national championship overrides the winning of that national championship itself. A place where “team” and “family” aren’t just words but more of a daily practice, and where putting aside ones personal aspirations in order to contribute to the common goal is the number one priority. It is here where learning to be comfortable with the uncomfortable is the routine. This is the program of gratitude, integrity, and most of all no regrets.

I believe whole-heartedly in the Slug Tennis program and the profound impact it has on people. This is why I have chosen to take over as the new Head Men’s Tennis Coach at UC Santa Cruz. I want to continue contributing to Slug Tennis, and to share all that Bob and Slug Tennis have taught me. Having been a part of four championship teams, one as a player, and three as a coach, I am exceptionally thrilled with the goal of winning a national championship. At the same time, I also understand that winning a championship is merely the byproduct of so much more, and not every year will end with a trophy in hand. To get to work with these young men, day in and day out and share in their experiences as student-athletes, is an incredibly exciting prospect, and one that I anticipate.

This leaves me here speaking to you with admiration and appreciation because you are Slug Tennis. You are the Slug family. The richness of this program lies not only in its numbers but in the quality of its connections, unbreakable by time, distance, or generations. I am thrilled to be entering this journey with all of you at my side and commit to doing the very best job I possibly can. Thank you so much for your support and let’s keep this Slug train rolling!

Sincerely,

Coach Bryce “Bird” Parmelly

Big news in Slugville!

2011-07-13T11:03:00.000-07:00

Dear Slug Tennis Family and Fans,

Big news on the Slug Tennis front! I will be taking the job at Middlebury College starting in the Fall and if all goes as planned, Slug superstar Bryce “Bird” Parmelly will be taking over the reins of the Slug Tennis program. He will be leading an amazing group that will continue the incredible history of success that we have all become accustomed to. I have had the pleasure of watching this current group mature into the championship level team that Bird is excited and thrilled to lead. I could not have considered this new challenge had Bird not been both ready and willing to take over. He is clearly both....

I was certainly not looking for a new job, as the last time that I applied for a position was more than 25 years ago. When asked to look more closely at the Middlebury position, I was impressed on many levels with the institutional support for athletics, their understanding of the role of athletics as part of the academic mission, and the amazing quality of coaches and administrators in the athletic department. The Middlebury offer was amazing and due to financial challenges, UC Santa Cruz was unable to compete with the offer.

My ride as the coach of the magical Slug Tennis Program has been a complete joy from day one and I leave with nothing but great memories and a full and appreciative heart. When I think back to the start of the program and it’s growth and development into one of the finest athletic teams on any level, I am thrilled from head to toe! The most incredible part of the experience has to be the multitude of relationships with all the players, families and friends of the program. I cannot begin to thank all of those responsible for helping me create the job I was meant to do! Against a very challenging backdrop, the devotion of our players and the generosity of our families and supporters carried us to amazing personal growth and corresponding success. I could not be more proud of the incredible courage and character demonstrated by our amazing athletes in their quest for personal and team excellence. They became the standard of Division III tennis, winning an unprecedented 34 National Championships and forming bonds that will last a lifetime.

I am a bit overwhelmed with the change. Equally nostalgic and excited at the same time with all of the possibilities. Currently, I am running the Santa Cruz NIKE Tennis Camp which has and will continue to be another big part of my life. Word of these changes has been slowly getting out and I apologize for being slow in making this more formal announcement. I would like to thank each and every one responsible for this amazing ride with Slug Tennis but the list would take more time than I have. I want everyone associated with the Slug Tennis family to know that our relationship continues regardless of the name on my jersey going forward. I will follow this current Slug group on each step of their journey and will forever be tied to the amazing group of people which make up this rare breed called Slugs.

I sincerely hope that you will continue to support the wonderful mission of Slug Tennis. The University is going through extremely challenging times and will need your help and support to continue on the path of excellence that has characterized this program. I will do my best to respond to any questions, concerns or well wishes but please know that I am super busy with camp and getting up to speed on my new job so your patience is greatly appreciated. I am extremely excited about the many amazing possibilities of this new adventure but also painfully aware of the many friends and family that will be at greater distance.

Thanks again for all your help, support, love and concern. New coach Bryce “Bird” Parmelly can be reached at Bryce.Parmelly@gmail.com

Sincerely,
Coach Hansen

Slugs Strong at NCAA Individual Tournament

2011-05-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

Dear Slug Tennis Fans,

Another season is in the books! Congratulations to the entire team for another amazing effort as we hit many milestones on our journey. Our young team established themselves as a team to recon with as our team ranking climbed into the top four! Far from where we like to end the season, we made progress towards the top teams. With the recognition of where we want to go combined with the desire and courage to attack the challenges in our path, the future looks bright!

Brian Pybas ended his stellar career with an amazing run at the NCAA tournament! He was honored at the West Region Senior of the Year and many felt he was the most deserving for the national award for his three national titles, six All-American selections, two Ojai titles and for being the best singles and doubles player in the country this season reaching the semi finals in singles and quarter finals in doubles! What is even more amazing is that he did this with a one handed backhand after suffering from an injury to his right hand following our loss to Claremont in the regional team finals. Hard to imagine what he accomplished with this handicap as he and Parker Larsen lost a heartbreaking 7-5 in the third match in the doubles to a team that went on to capture the title. In singles Brian saved two match points in his second round match and cruzed in his quarter final before bowing out to the top seed in the semi finals. He is a rare athlete who's presence will be greatly missed as we move forward. I am happy to say he will be joining team mate and fellow NCAA champion doubles partner Marc Vartabedian in Europe to continue his tennis.

Congratulations to Erich Koening for winning the National ITA Player to Watch award. It was most deserving for his amazing year in both singles and doubles as well as his leadership role in this year's campaign. Erich lost in the first round of the singles to the eventual NCAA singles champion Chris Goodwin of Emory in a well played one break a set match. As usual, Erich learned from the match and set the course for his future progress with the goal of being among the very best.

Parker Larsen showed he is one of the elite doubles players in the country moving from third doubles in the freshmen year to being an All-American and in contention to win titles as a sophomore.

We will be celebrating our season at an awards banquet on June 4th at the University Center where we will be honoring this years team along with the National Championship teams from 1996, 2001 and 2005. Any one interested in attending please go to the website at:
http://community.ucsc.edu/s/1069/index-2-column.aspx?sid=1069&pgid=913&gid=1&cid=1954&ecid=1954 We need to get the final count in to the catering department so please register by Tuesday at the latest.

Thanks for all your amazing support and I look forward to seeing as many of you as can make it at the banquet. Best wishes, Coach Hansen

And The Winner Is....

2011-05-25T11:40:00.000-07:00

It is my great pleasure to announce that Brian Pybas and Erich Koenig have won the ITA West Region's awards for "Senior Player of the Year" and "Player to Watch," respectively.
Candidates for these awards are evaluated based on athletic performance, team leadership, and good sportsmanship. It is a great honor and I am proud that two of our finest players would receive this kind of recognition.

Both Koenig and Pybas will have a chance to demonstrate their abilities at the NCAA individual and doubles National Championship tournament this weekend, hosted by Pomona-Pitzer in Claremont, CA. Pybas will be entering the tournament as defending doubles champion, and will be a major threat along with doubles partner Parker Larsen. The two are the top ranked doubles team in our region, and expect no less than a stellar performance from them both. Pybas will also be competing in the individual tournament along with Koenig, and both have a shot at the title. this will be Pybas's last appearance at the tournament, so expect him to leave everything on the court. As the "player to watch," Koenig has had an exceptional season and is sure to be a major competitor as well.

We encourage anyone who is able to attend the tournament and watch our guys compete.

Here is a link to the website of the host school, where you can follow the action with live scoring. http://www.pe.pomona.edu/NCAA/ncaachamps

Here is a link to the tournament website for more info http://www.ncaa.com/championships/tennis-men/d3

Lastly, I would like to plug our upcoming Award Banquet on Saturday, June 4th at the University Center here at UCSC. This is our first time hosting this annual event, and we will be honoring the current team as well as the 1996 NCAA championship team, the 2000 ITA championship team, and the 2005 NCAA championship team. It should be a great night of catching up with former teammates, socializing with the current team, and reconnecting with the slug tennis program. If you haven't yet RSVP'ed please do so at this website. http://community.ucsc.edu/s/1069/index-2-column.aspx?sid=1069&pgid=913&gid=1&cid=1954&ecid=1954

Best Wishes,

Coach Hansen

Slugs Lose Heartbreaker to CMS

2011-05-14T16:51:00.000-07:00

Dear Slug Fans,

In one of the most dramatic Dual matches ever played on our courts we dropped a very tough one to our So Cal rivals #3 ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripts. Doubles started well with both two and three doubles out to an early lead. Erich Koenig and Sam Rodgers played amazingly well in winning 8-5 to get us on the board first with a great close to conclude their match. Erik Rosner and Ian Stanley battled hard but lost serve when serving at 6-7 for the final mark of 8-6 to knot the match at 1-1. At one doubles Brian Pybas and Parker Larsen went down a break early and played an incredible break game at 6-7 where both players hit multiple winning returns to break and even the match. Parker held for 8-7 and then it got very interesting! We had at least 6 set points and held off at least 5 hold points in an amazing game. The level was super high with both teams forcing errors or hitting winner. CMS finally held to send it to a breaker. We jumped out to an early lead that they erased. We faced set point at 5-6 in the breaker but battled back to win in super dramatic fashion 9-7 as Parker stepped up on match point and Brian hit an amazing finishing swing volley to set up the match point.

With a 2-1 lead going into the singles all matches were battles. Brian won the first set at one as did Parker at three and Andre at four. Erich Koenig was up early in the first set but ended up losing a close set. Sam Rodgers served for the first set but lost it in a tiebreaker. Yushi Ayabe lost two close sets at six singles to even the match at 2-2. Next off was Sam who lost 6-3 in the second followed by Erich who lost is two very close sets at two singles. Andre Halabi continued his great play at four singles serving it out for a straight set win to put us at 3-4 with Brian and Parker now both in the third. Parker got out quickly at three singles going up 5-1. Brian was down an early break but was held up by the crowd, Parker's lead and Andre's win. Parker had one match point at 5-1, three more at 5-3 and one at 5-4. A win of any one of these would have put the match on Brian's racket which is good news for the Slugs. Brian battled back and had two match points at 4-5 in the third and had his third match point when Parker's opponent sealed the match for CMS.

The crowd was amazing, our fight and character were outstanding and yet it was a very hard loss for our young men. I could not be more proud of their effort this year and if you would have told me at the start of the season that we would beat CMS in the regular season and hold match points to get to the final 8 I would have been pleasantly surprised! The journey has been great! Parker Larsen was not in our singles lineup till the end of last year and did an amazing job all year at three. Combined with Brian to be the top doubles team from our region, he had an amazing year. Andre struggled at times last year at six and this year lost to only one player in Div lll at four all year long! Erich Koening was the top number two player in our region and was a key part of our doubles success as well. Sam Rodgers who was not in our singles or doubles lineup last year had some great matches at five singles and he and Erich were one of our most solid teams at the end of the season. Erik Rosner and Ian Stanley started the year on fire and then found their form again late to be a super solid two team with great potential going forward. Yushi Ayabe was in my advanced tennis class last year and lost his only dual match of the year in today's final contributing a great attitude and work ethic. And then there is our rock in senior Brian Pybas. We all had no doubt he would have found a way to close out his match as this has been his pattern his whole career.

Thanks again to everyone who helped support this great event. Our crowd was amazing and it was so nice to see so many of our Slug Alums, family and friends. Special thanks to the OPERS Staff led by Erin Ness, Julie Roth, and AD Linda Spradley. Thanks to all of our second team members for their work all year and support at this event. There are way to many people to name but we all felt amazing at the level of support. When I am able to pick myself off the mat I will do a more thorough recap of this amazing team season. Brian, Erich and Parker will be practicing for the Individual NCAA singles and doubles championships to be played in Claremont at the end of the month.

Thanks again for all the love and support and our collective Slug hearts will heal and we will be at it better than ever!

Sincerely, Coaches Hansen, Seeberger and Parmelly

Slugs Blast Through Round of 32 at NCAA National Team Championships

2011-05-13T16:49:00.000-07:00

Dear Slug fans,

On an absolutely beautiful day on their own dressed up courts the Slugs hit their stride and blanked #7 ranked Pomona-Pitzer 5-0. The atmosphere was amazing with incredible support from our wonderful fans and the hard work of the UCSC staff which combined for a super setting for our match. Lone senior Brian Pybas and partner Parker Larsen got things started with an 8-3 win at one doubles setting the tone for things to come. Our communication and focus were top notch from start to finish. Three doubles was next off with Erich Koening and Sam Rodgers winning a seesaw battle 8-6. As always these two battled from start to finish. At two doubles Erik Rosner and Ian Stanley were in top form playing solidly throughout their 8-6 victory.

In singles we kept the pressure on! Sam Rodgers hit the finish line first with a 6-3,6-2 win at five singles looking sharp from the outset. I enjoyed watching his enthusiasm and tenacity as he repeatedly answered the bell on big points. Parker Larsen iced the match with a 6-2,6-3 win at three singles. Parker's focus, movement skills, and clutch play were on display throughout the match. When the match was called Andre Halabi was up 6-1,5-2 double match point at four singles, Brian Pybas was up a set and 4-4 at one singles, Erich Koening was up a set and 3-0 at two singles, and Yushi Ayabe was a set down but up 3-0 in the second and looking strong!

So nice to see all our wonderful family, alums, and fans! I can not begin to tell you how much your support means to all of us and how important it is to our success! Special thanks to Jerry Lynch for his invaluable help in preparing our team and welcome back to Bryce the Birdman Parmelly for jumping in and helping coach! I could not be more proud of our effort today and look forward to our battle tomorrow with top seed Claremont who defeated Univ of Texas Tyler today. The 12:00 noon battle tomorrow between these two top programs should be a great contest. Special thanks also to tournament director Erin Ness, Sports information director and general super star Julie Roth and the rest of the OPERS staff for all their help in making this a special event. Hope to see many of you at the match tomorrow and go Slugs! For complete tournament information follow our tournament web site at:http://www.goslugs.com/teams/tennis/men/championships/2011tennisregionals/mten11_regionals.html

Best wishes, Coach Hansen and Seeberger

Slug's to Host First Two Rounds of NCAA's!

2011-05-10T13:04:00.001-07:00

Dear Slug Fans,

Right around the corner, the men of slug tennis will be embarking on the first stage of their NCAA championship run. May Madness, Division III tennis at its finest, will be on display on our very own UCSC slug tennis courts.

Friday, May 13th, at 10AM, the UCSC men's tennis team, currently ranked 4 in the nation, will be facing one of the toughest first round opponents, Pomona-Pitzer, currently ranked 7 in the nation.

The winner of this match up will face the winner between Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and University of Texas at Tyler. That 2nd round match will be the round of 16, and will be played on Saturday, May 14th, at 12pm. CMS is currently ranked 3 in the nation and will most likely be the next team to defeat.

Earlier in the season, the UCSC slugs defeated the Pomona-Pitzer sagehens 6-3 in a wonderful match.

Come out and support our boys as we look to move on to the final site of the NCAA tournament! For more specific information on this great event please visit the tournament Web site at: http://www.goslugs.com/teams/tennis/men/championships/2011tennisregionals/mten11_regionals.html

Thanks, and go slugs!

Coaches Hansen and Seeberger

Slugs return home from another great Ojai

2011-05-03T22:02:00.000-07:00

Dear Slug fans,

The men of slug tennis put together another valiant effort down south at the prestigious 111 year old Ojai tournament. The Ojai is always an incredibly well run event, utilizing over 156 courts throughout the Ojai valley with all the divisions closing in on the final site, Libbey Park, for their final showdowns.

In our singles, many of our lower guys got a chance to test their limits and play higher level opponents from other schools. Yushi Ayabe played a very talented number 3 player from Pomona-Pitzer, where we were able to witness some of Yushi's best tennis to date. His high level through the first set was incredible, with a barrage of forehand winners and a strong control of every point. As his opponent began to lock down, the match became more even with his opponent getting the best of Yushi after 3 sets.

Andre Halabi also faced a tough opponent in his first round match. Against a high level Cal Lutheran player, Andre again pushed his offense to new heights. It wasn't enough to get through as he lost in 3 sets, but as he continues to take control of more and more of the rallies, Andre's development will continue to allow him to close the gap on his potential.

Sam Rodgers played a strong Pomona-Pitzer player in his first round, and battling nerves and an ever expanding aggressive game in the making, he struggled to find his rhythm. Losing in straight sets, with many quality lessons to learn, Sam still finds a way to keep his focus on his development and we can expect to see even more improvement in his skill level as each day passes.

Erik Rosner drew a tough CMS player and worked through the match with a level head. His opponent exposed some areas for Erik to take a closer look at, but we have enjoyed seeing Erik work to find his own singles game and style of play.

Parker played beautifully in dispatching his first round CMS opponent in straight sets, controlling the net and defending well when needed. His second round was even more impressive as he was playing a dangerous Redlands player, yet again, he found his style of play and flow that allowed him to stay on top of his opponent from start to finish. Making it to the quarterfinals was an impressive run, and that's where Parker eventually fell short to Cal Lutheran's top player. A wonderful singles tournament for Parker as he put together two well played matches and his growth in staying in that competitive zone only gets better and better.

Erich Koenig fought through his first round match in straight sets, showing strong composure against a tough Redlands opponent. In his second round, he played a CMS opponent that displayed some extremely high level tennis. In a compelling back and forth battle, with Erich scraping out the first set in a breaker, and his opponent winning the second set 6-3 with only one hold total, Erich was playing without some of his greatest weapons. Finding himself down 5-2 in the third set, Brian Pybas had just finished his match and rolled down to Erich's court to offer some inspiration. And from some deep, deep space, in the midst of true tennis beauty, Erich fought, clawed, and battled his way back to winning 5 straight games and the third set, 7-5. A truly impressive performance that highlights slug tennis in its purest form. In Erich's quarterfinal match, he played the top CMS player, and didn't execute the shots needed to win. But a wonderful event for Erich, as he goes on to show us what kind of competitor he has become.

To top off the singles, our team leader, Brian Pybas, displayed his impressive skill set with his Ojai run. After three straight set wins putting him into the semis against Cal Lutheran's top player, Brian found himself in a hole with not much room for error. With an injured back, unable to hit out on his serve, and playing a very tough opponent early Sunday morning, Pybas needed to dig out from a 6-4, 4-0 deficit. And as usual, with whatever power he had left, he pulled out all the stops and managed to reel off 9 straight games and finished off his opponent 6-3 in the third set for a birth in the final. However, due to his increasing pain, he was forced to retire after the first set of the match to the top player from CMS. However, making it to the finals of this prestigious tournament again proves to the country how strong and how well Brian Pybas competes, day in and day out.

Onto our doubles, we had four teams play in the draw. Andre Halabi and Bryce Bettwy embarked on their collegiate debut as a duo. Their practices leading up to Ojai had been nothing short of impressive, as they dispatched most of our top starting doubles teams. But in their first round, they came out cold and weren't in top form, but nonetheless, they enjoyed their battle and they fought hard to the end.

Ian Stanley and Erik Rosner dominated their first round with their wonderful blend of big serving, aggressive returns, and well placed volleys. In their second round, facing a strong CMS team, they fell 8-6 in a close match (the CMS team ended up making it to the semis). Moving forward, consistency in their serving and returning will be key as they look to become one of our most rock solid doubles positions yet again.

Erich Koenig and Sam Rodgers displayed some of their best, if not their best doubles matches to date. Competing harder than ever, fighting for every point, and not giving their opponents an inch, they scrapped through the number 4 seeded Cal Lutheran team in one of the highlights of the tournament. They then took down a tough CMS team before falling to fellow teammates Brian Pybas and Parker Larsen in the semi finals. A truly impressive run for these two boys as their early struggle with doubles in the beginning of the season has only spurred on their hard work ethic and competitive nature.

Brian Pybas and Parker Larsen rolled through three teams placing themselves in the doubles final. Their best tennis has been a result of their ever present relaxed state of competing, crafty shot making, and textbook doubles plays. In the finals, Pybas was still suffering from a sore back, and wasn't in top form. And against arguably the most fiery and dangerous doubles team in the draw, the Redlands team was coming for them guns blazing. Their energy and desire proved to be too much for the slugs as they grinded out a 3 set victory over Brian and Parker.

As always, it was an absolute pleasure competing in this magnificent event, and our players found much to learn from to take home.

We want to give a special thanks to the Pybas family and the Koenig family for their incredible hospitality and support through our weekend. Also, it was wonderful to see Kris Rosner in support, the Rodgers', Sam Bettwy, and the Stanley's. Every additional slug fan out there cheering on our boys makes for an ever more meaningful event. Thanks for your time, love, and continued generosity as without you guys, this program couldn't live on.

Up next in our schedule, we have the first two rounds of the NCAA National Team Championships, which will be hosted at our very own, UC-Santa Cruz courts. The dates are set to be Friday, May 13th, and Saturday, May 14th, with the time to be determined. Round up all the tennis fans you know and come support the slugs in this very special event as we head down the home stretch of our 2011 season. The environment should be exciting, electric, and thrilling as we face the top teams in our region for a chance to play in the final showdown later in May.

Thanks and go slugs!

Coaches Hansen and Seeberger

Slugs roll to Ojai Tournament

2011-04-27T07:42:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-17T13:23:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-14T14:35:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-04-13T11:14:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-02T18:11:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-01T22:06:00.000-07:00

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

Slugs Still in San Antonia but happy with the Trip

2011-03-27T20:16:00.001-07:00

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

2011-03-26T17:33:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-22T12:43:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-12T16:04:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-03-10T09:11:00.000-08:00

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?!

2011-03-08T16:37:00.000-08:00

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

Slugs Finish 3rd at ITA National Indoors with win over Carnegie Mellon

2011-02-21T23:02:00.000-08:00

The Slugs finished strong by beating Carnegie Mellon 5-4 to bring home the third place hardware. By winning the doubles point at one and three singles the Slugs found themselves in the familiar position of needing a split in the singles. Wins by Brian Pybas and Parker Larsen at one doubles and Erik Rosner and Ian Stanley at three set the table going into singles. Senior leader Brian Pybas led a set and a break before cooling off and losing in three tight sets. Next off was Parker Larsen who played well at times but came up short in three close sets. Down 3-2 in the team match and down 3-5 in the third at four singles, the pressure was really on! Andre Halabi responded in winning the final 4 games of this grueling match to even the match score at 3-3. In doing so he showed his vast improvement over last year when he lost to the same player in straight sets. A quick and decisive victory at two singles by Erich Koenig put us one match away from decision. Sam Rodgers provided the decisive point in a straight sets win at five singles to ice the match. It was a great team match effort where everyone contributed and it was a fine way to end a wonderful trip. We learned a great deal about where we are as a team and the direction we are headed. With further work and continued growth we will be in contention in the weeks and months ahead. Thanks for your help and support and Go Slugs! Coach Hansen and Coach Seeberger

Slugs drop close decion to Wash U in ITA National Indoor Semi finals

2011-02-19T18:29:00.000-08:00

In a rematch of last years ITA National Indoor final the Slugs lost a very close 4-5 match to Washington University that came down to the final set. We had a rough start at one and two doubles as we dropped both matches by 8-3 scores. Wash U out closed us and in general played more aggressive doubles which accounted for the final score. We continued to get a great effort from Erik Rosner and Ian Stanley at three doubles as they weathered some ups and downs prevailing 8-6 and getting us on the board. Playing on three courts in singles Brian Pybas bounced back to even the match at 2-2 with a 6-2,7-5 win over Isaac Stein at one singles playing some brilliant tennis. Brian's physical strength and movement were on display in the wonderful match. Down 2-5 two breaks at two singles, Erich Koening lifted his spirits and game to come back for a 7-6,7-6 win over Max Woods. I was very happy to see Erich refocus and regain his composure which translated into some great tennis. This knoted the match at 3-3 after Parker Larsen dropped a close 6-4,7-5 match at three singles. After Frosh Bryce Bettwy lost at six singles Sam Rodgers played an outstanding match at five singles to even the match at 4-4. During his best stretches Sam was taking the ball early and really controlling the match. After losing the first set in a breaker Andre Halabi won the second set to make is a one set match. With new balls against am more aggressive opponent he lost his grip on the match and ended up losing 7-6,2-6,6-1. I am proud of our effort and we took away many valuable lessons we will apply going forward. I look forward to seeing how we bounce back in our third place match against Carnege Mellow tomorrow morning. As usual these trip provide a wonderful oppotunity for our team to learn and grow and I feel strongly that this experience will make us much stonger going as the season progresses. Thanks for your support and Go Slugs! Sincerely, Coach Hansen and Coach Seeberger

Slugs Advance to ITA National Indoors Semi with win over Trinity U

2011-02-18T19:03:00.001-08:00

With a strong team effort in our first Div lll match of the season, the Slugs advanced to the semi finals of the ITA National Indoor Team Championships with a 6-3 win over Trinity University. As always doubles were key as Brian Pybas and Parker Larsen defeated Bobby Coccounougher and Cory Kowel 9-8. Coccounougher and Kowel won the Fall ITA National Championship to go with reaching the NCAA doubles final last year and were the top ranked team in the country coming into the match. We also got an outstanding effort from Erik Rosner and Ian Stanley who won in dominating fashion at three doubles by a score of 8-2.

In singles Brian Pybas got us on the board first with a 6-4,6-3 win. Brian's leadership and fine play in singles and doubles paved the way in this match. Our next point came when freshmen Bryce Bettwy came back for two breaks down in the third to win 6-3,2-6,7-6 at six to give us a firm grip on the match. Parker Larsen continued his great play of late with the clinching match at three singles by scores of 6-2,2-6,6-3. Playing the match on three courts and matches going on at different times meant our six point came moments later as Andre Halabi won in straight sets 6-3,6-3 at four singles. Erich Koenig played a great match but was edged 7-5 in the third in the final match on. Sam Rodgers lost a close match at five singles going down 7-6,6-4.

Next up is Washington University of St Louis who we beat in last years final. They played extremely well today beating a strong NC Weslyan team 8-1. Should be a great match and hope you will follow our progress on the Men's Tennis page at the host school Mary Washington's web site. Thanks for all your great support and best wishes, Coach Hansen and Seeberger

Slugs Tigers to battle it out in ITA Indoors 1st Round

2011-02-16T17:15:00.000-08:00

Slugs and Tigers got some ink on the Div lll Blog Spot with a wonderful article featuring the great 1st round match. To see the experts opinion go to:
http://d3tennis.blogspot.com/ Very interesting. Go Slugs!

Slugs move indoors at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships

2011-02-15T10:49:00.000-08:00

Sweatpants and suntans. That's what champions look like. At least our brand of Champions. Since the inception of the ITA National Indoor in 2000, the Slugs have reached the finals a record 7 times, and won the title in 2000, 2007, and 2010. This photo was taken in 2010 after we won our third ITA indoor championship title.

It's very early in the season and these matches will be our first against Div lll opponents. We expect a severe test in the first round as we face an NCAA final eight team from 2010 in Trinity University of Texas led by the defending fall ITA National Doubles Champions, a team who we defeated in the NCAA Doubles National Championship match in 2010.

For more information and to follow the matches you can visit the ITA National Team Indoor web page at http://www.itatennis.com/Events/ITANationalChampionships/DIIIMensTeamIndoors.htm

Best wishes, Coach Hansen, Coach Seeberger and the Men of Slug Tennis

Sap Open

2011-02-10T14:03:00.001-08:00

Slug Coaches join Sammy Slug, team parent and booster extraordinaire Gary Pybas, tournament director Bill Rapp and top seed Fenando Verdasco.

The third annual Slug Alum Night at the SAP Open brought together UCSC alums, family and friends of Slug Tennis in a wonderful and entertaining evening. I am most appreciative of all the support with special thanks going to Allison Garcia and her staff for their help in making this a most successful evening. US professional Sam Querry and tournament director Bill Rapp entertained the gathering at the banquet while top seeds Fernando Verdasco and Gael Monfils provided great tennis in the evening matches.

Thanks again to all those joining us in the wonderful event. Many thanks, Coach Hansen

Back on the Grind

2011-01-27T13:46:00.000-08:00

It's been a challenging start, but the men of Slug tennis are clearly on their journey of becoming a championship team.

The season opened with a match against the Div 1 Cal Poly Mustangs at Seascape Sports Club in Aptos at the Seascape Sports Club. The day featured tough match-ups up and down the lineup, and despite bringing home only 2 wins our players showed some strong play. Special nods to doubles partners Erich Koenig and Sam Rodgers who defeated Alex Sonesson and Jordan Kepler in a close match of 9-8. It was a hard won victory and demonstrated the chemistry between these two players. Sam Rodgers once again proved himself a valuable member of the team when he defeated Sebastion Bell for the Slugs only singles win as well. Look for him to be a major player in this year's championship run. Soph Erich Koenig had five match points against his strong Swedish opponent before falling 14-12 in the breaker for the third set. Sophomore Erik Rosner also played well in his exhibition match and defeated Kyle Jackson 6-1,6-4.

Although their performances did not lead to a victory, a shout out is needed for Parker Larsen and Brian Pybas. Parker faced off against longtime friend and former Aptos High teammate Jordan Kepler, and fought hard in the second set to a 6-2, 7-5 finish. Off the courts the two joked around and posed for photos together. You can read more about this in the Santa Cruz Sentinel's piece on it. Copy and paste this link http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/sports/ci_17172498

Pybas on the other hand played well against one of the nation's top Div 1 players, Andre Dome. He battled over every point, and lost by the close score of 6-4, 6-4.

The match yesterday against the Santa Clara Broncos continued to push the guys towards a higher level of competition, with many players performing well despite eventual losses. Doubles partners Erik Rosner and Ian Stanley defeated Santa Clara's Kyle Dandan and Kyohhei Kamono 8-5. This young doubles team is showing real maturity and will be an asset to the team.

Parker Larsen pushed Blue Chip Freshman opponent John Lamble to three sets in a hell of a match, before losing 6-7, 6-1, 1-0. This was a strong effort, and demonstrates Parker's resolve.

We will continue to push ourselves in practice as we prepare for the SAP alumni and supporter event on Feb 9th, and of course the ITA National Indoors on Feb 18th-19th.

Reflecting on the performance of the team in these two matches, I am pleased with the way that this young team is maturing. The veterans are stepping up to fill leadership roles, and the new additions to the team are putting in some solid work to get better. I am very excited about the chemistry between teammates, and the attitude of the guys coming off these two losses. Playing these tough Div 1 teams early in the season really gives us a chance to test ourselves at a high level of play and identify areas for improvement. Moving forward we have a lot to work on, but I am confident that we will mature as the season progresses. The Slugs have a knack for comebacks and I fully expect great things from this group.

Best,

Coach Hansen

P.S. Read what others have to say about the Slugs

http://d3tennis.blogspot.com/2011/01/2011-team-preview-17-uc-santa-cruz.html

Battle In the Bay

2011-01-18T12:00:00.001-08:00

To all members of the Slug Tennis Nation,

After a fun and productive Fall featuring growth on many levels and the addition of two new All-American selections—with doubles partners Brian Pybas and Parker Larsen winning the Fall ITA Championships—we are ready to begin the 2011 campaign with our first match on Sat January 22nd against Div 1 Cal Poly. The match will be played at Seascape Tennis Club of Aptos at 12:30pm. The event will feature a BBQ following the match. Admission is free with the proceeds of the BBQ going to support both teams. We would love to have your support in this match featuring some of the best local tennis talent in Cal Poly’s Jordan Kepler and UC Santa Cruz’s Parker Larsen who were team mates at Aptos High School. Both players won the league singles titles and are now taking their talent to a new level.

I am very please with the progress of our young team. We are training very hard and enjoying the many challenges we face. Thanks to all of you for continuing to support these fine young men as they put their own unique stamp on our illustrious history.

Best wishes, Coaches Hansen and Seeberger and the men of Slug Tennis

Slugs Capture a Fall Victory

2010-10-07T20:18:00.000-07:00

It was a hot day in Claremont. The kind that imprisons people in air conditioned rooms, their eyes glued to TV screens as they wait for the sun to go down. But not doubles partners Brian Pybas and Parker Larsen, who brought home the ITA West Regional Doubles Championship title this past Monday. Here's head coach Bob Hansen's recap of the pair's performance throughout the tournament:

NCAA National Doubles Champion Brian Pybas continued his winning ways

by capturing the ITA West Regional Doubles Championship title with new
partner Parker Larsen. Brian adjusted beautifully to his new partner
as he and Parker rolled through the draw as the second seeded team
winning their matches in commanding form by scores of 8-4, 8-2,8-4,
and 8-2 in the semi finals over the 4th seeded team of Annish Nanda
and Cameron Spearman of Redlands University.

In the final they met a familiar foe in Robbie Erani and Ronald Wu, the
third seeded team from Claremont Mckenna College. Erani and Wu are a
very experienced team and had also moved quite easily to the final.
The first set of the final was a see saw battle punctuated by fine
play from both teams. After a couple of early breaks both team held
to the first set tiebreaker where Brian and Parker held on to take the
set with a 7-5 tiebreaker victory. In the second set they played
commanding doubles leading to a 6-2 victory. With the win Brian and
Parker earned All-American status and the right to play in the ITA
Small College National Championships in Mobile Alabama on October
14-17.

Great work boys,

Bob

The Slugs Hit The Road

2010-10-01T00:10:00.000-07:00

Cruz, cruz, cruz, cruz, cruz......

The wait is over!

The UCSC Men's Tennis program has returned. The Slugs head south this weekend to the ITA Small College Regional Championships at the Claremont Colleges. The line up this weekend will feature many returners including #1 seeded senior Brian Pybas, as well as some new additions to the program. Anyone in the Claremont area is welcome to come out to support us as we battle our way through this major fall tournament.

Here is a link to the tournament website for anyone who wants to follow us this weekend.

http://tennislink.usta.com/TOURNAMENTS/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=101566

Go Slugs!

We are the Champions

2010-05-30T20:33:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to Marc Vartabedian and Brian Pybas, who won the NCAA Div III doubles national championship today in Ohio. This win marks the 10th national doubles title brought home by the Slugs.

Marc and Brian put in a lot of work for this win, and performed beautifully.

Follow the link below for a full recap of the match at NCAA.com.

http://www.ncaa.com/sports/m-tennis/recaps/053010aac.html

Live Scores

2010-05-30T00:42:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

Here's the link for live scoring.

Go Slugs

http://www.sidearmstats.com/oberlin/tennis/xlive.htm

Pybas and Vartabedian Make it to the Semis!

2010-05-29T22:24:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Slugs Brian Pybas and Marc Vartabedian, who have made it into the semi finals in the NCAA individual championship. They are playing very well, and have a chance to take home the title. Follow their matches on NCAA.com from the link below.

Thanks to everyone who continues to support the slugs on their journey to a national title.

Coach Hansen

http://www.ncaa.com/

Pybas and Vartabedian Fly to Nationals

2010-05-26T18:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Slug Tennis Fans,

We are off to the NCAA Individual Championships where Brian Pybas and Marc Vartabedian will compete for both the singles and doubles National Championships. You can follow their progress at the official NCAA web site at http://www.ncaa.com/sports/m-tennis/champpage/m-tennis-div3-index.html or get another viewpoint on the D3tennis blog spot at http://d3tennis.blogspot.com/

I could not be more proud of these two players representing us and look forward to attacking both events. Both players are hitting their stride and know what a championship run is all about. Thanks so much for all your support and I will be providing more updates as the tournament progresses.

Best wishes, Coach Hansen

2010-05-17T15:08:00.000-07:00

Dear Slug Tennis Fans,

It is hard to believe our team season has come to an end as the journey has been compelling, challenging, and most of all fun and inspiring. One of my regrets is that we can not continue our work as we were clearing improving as we hit the finish line. Our NCAA Regional, clearly the toughest in the country, featured two teams that had beaten us during the regular season: Cal Lutheran (ranked number four in the country) in the first round and Claremont McKenna College (ranked number three in the country) in the second. We entered the tournament ranked number six.

In our earlier encounter with Cal Lutheran at home coming out of the ITA finals, we got swept in doubles. This time around we won at one doubles with Brian Pybas and Marc Vartabedian defeating the top ranked team in our region by a score of 8-6. At three doubles freshmen Parker Larsen and Andre Halabi defeated a very strong team 8-4 to give us a 2-1 lead heading into singles. In singles we got on the board first with Brian Pybas smoking our region's top player, Andrew Giuffrida by a score of 6-0,6-2. Next off was Marc Vartabedian who was leading 6-0,5-2 when his opponent decided he' had enough and retired. The clinching match in the 5-2 decision came from Freshman Parker Larsen who won his match at five singles 6-2,6-1. Silvio Chiba and Andre Halabi were both up a set when the match was decided.

On to the regional final where we faced host CMS who had crushed us 8-1 a little over five weeks ago during our spring break trip. During this earlier match we did not get more than four games in any singles set and lost two doubles 8-1 and three doubles 8-2. This was a different story! Marc and Brian dominated at one doubles winning 8-0 in about 20 minutes! Parker and Andre led 7-5 before falling 9-7 and we had 6 match points at two doubles where Freshmen Erich Koenig and Senior Shaun Herry played brilliantly against the Ojai doubles champions from CMS. We ended up losing this match in a tiebreaker which helped them achieve momentum going into the singles.

Brian Pybas continued his brilliant play beating the regions number two ranked player, Robbie Erani, by a score of 6-1,6-2 to even the match at 2-2. At this point we had lost the first set at two singles in a tiebreaker and had won the first set at 3 and 5 singles while dropping the first set at 4 and 6. Silvio Chiba and Andre Halabi lost their matches to put us down 2-4 but Erich Koenig battled back from a break down in the third to get us back to 3-4 with a brilliant 6-4 on the third victory with Parker and Marc still battling. Parker ended up losing in three sets for the final margin of 5-3 thus ending our team season.

I am extremely pleased with our effort as we were clearly in position to win this match where we were no where close only 6 weeks ago! The improvement in our team recently and over the season as a whole was breathtaking, and the motivation, positive team chemistry, and determination going forward is very exciting. With our incredibly high expectations I am disappointed to not be taking the team to the final site but am motivated to get there next year!

Brian and Marc will be going on to the NCAA Individual Championships and with the way they are playing they will be tough to stop. Having won the ITA National Indoor Team Championship with such a young group and watching them continue to grow and improve is exciting to all the coaches.

I would like to personally thank all our wonderful fans and boosters for all their amazing support. Special thanks to the Koeings for hosting such a fine dinner and to Gary Pybas, Kendal Larsen, and the Vartabedians for your support. Great to see Slug Alums Matt Seeberger and Jeff Fong and thanks to the many Alums and fans that followed our journey.

Bye for now but news of the NCAA final site and a season wrap up will follow.

Best wishes, Coaches Hansen, Parmelly and Mark-Griffin

The Slugs Advance to Round 2

2010-05-13T22:17:00.000-07:00

The Slugs started regionals off with a decisive victory over Cal Lutheran, winning 5-2. This win illustrates the hard work the team has put in this spring: last time the slugs met the kingsmen they they were swept in doubles, setting them up for a 5-4 loss.

However, at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center today the slugs entered their singles matches with a 2-1 lead, and Parker Larson clinched the win in his first start at number 5. This improvement shows the dedication the slugs have to constantly improving their level of play.

Be sure to follow the slugs as they face off against Claremont tomorrow. This should prove to be a tough match as Claremont defeated the slugs at their last meeting. Be sure to follow the results at the link below.

http://www.cmsathletics.org/sports/spring/mten/2009-2010/news/NCAA_Live_Score_Day_2

Follow The Slugs At Claremont

2010-05-13T15:30:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

For everyone who wants to follow the slugs but couldn't make it down to Claremont,

make sure to check out the live update on the Claremont Tennis Website. Follow the link below.

http://www.cmsathletics.org/sports/spring/mten/index

Support the Slugs at Regionals

2010-05-10T16:10:00.000-07:00

Coming off a string of hard practices and success in the Ojai tournament, the Slugs are gearing up for our final trip down south to the Claremont Colleges for the western Regionals. This year's western Regionals includes three of the nations top ten teams, and presents a unique challenge for the slugs as they prepare to take on Cal Lutheran in the first round, and possibly Claremont in the second round, both teams that have beaten us once already this year.

Come support our troops, as they begin to make their final push towards a 2010 NCAA national championship. Matches will begin on Thursday. Follow the link below to view the NCAA bracket.

http://www.ncaa.com/brackets/2010/ncaa_bracket_DIII_tennis_men.html

Check out our Blog

2010-05-07T16:02:00.000-07:00

Members of the Slug Tennis Nation,

I wanted to make sure you all knew about our new blog. It is the number one spot to connect with the team. All updates are now being posted on the blog and emailed to you through our Google group of the same name. We at the slug tennis program are new to blogging, and currently our page is pretty basic. But we are adding new features all the time, so keep checking to find out what is happening with the team.

Feel free to comment on this page.

You can share our blog on Facebook by clicking on the icon on the right hand side of the screen.

We are also on Twitter, so be sure to check out slugtennis next time you tweet.

I just uploaded some photos from our travels, including a few from our spring break trip and the recent Ojai tournament. Most of them are of the team goofing off, but we will have more photos of the guys in action soon.

You can follow the link at the bottom of the email to visit our blog.

Thanks,

UCSC men's tennis

Slugs Make the Press

2010-05-07T14:48:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Just wanted to make sure no one missed last week's article by City on a Hill reporter Kim Zhang.

Zhang came by the courts and interviewed the guys for a piece on their success in Ojai, and wrote a fantastic story that captured the resolve and professionalism of the team.

follow this link to read the article.

Men’s Tennis Brings the Heat in SoCal | City on a Hill Press

All's Well For The Slugs At Ojai

2010-04-26T15:11:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the Slugs, who have just returned home after a great trip south to Ojai. As the only team to have all eight players make it to the second round, the Slugs demonstrated that they have come a long way since their challenging spring break trip.

The hard work put in during practice showed in the level of play that the guys exhibited this past weekend. The Slugs showed great physical endurance playing multiple matches a day, and harnessed the mental toughness developed during training to come back from behind numerous times. Four of the slugs made it into the round of 16(Silvio Chiba, Erich Koenig, Marc and Brian), with Brian Pybas winning the tournament after a tough final match against teammate and doubles partner Marc Vartabedian. Two Slug doubles teams reached the semi finals and showed that we have progressed with our doubles as well as singles. In addition to performing well on the court, the Slugs hung together as a team, and supported each other through the weekend.

The Slug Tennis Nation would like to give a special thanks to the Pybas's, Vartabedian's, and Stanley's for hosting the guys during our stay in Ojai. Your hospitality helped to make our trip a positive experience, and allowed us to focus on performing as a team. We would also like to thank the Koenigs, who made it out to show their support for the slugs.

A shout out to Slug Tennis Nation member Eric Morely for his continued support. Eric, who drove through the night from the Bay Area to watch the Slugs compete, is a constant supporter.

Thanks and stay tuned for information regarding our NCAA Championship run.
Best wishes, Coach Hansen and the men of Slug Tennis

Heading to Ojai

2010-04-21T16:13:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow the slugs travel down south for the 103rd Annual Ojai Tournament. We’re coming in fresh off two strong victories against UC San Diego and Sonoma State, and look to continue our momentum heading into NCAA regionals. Leading the group are Brian Pybas and Marc Vartabedian, both returnees who are in the hunt to make an appearance at Libby Park.

The 2009-2010 season has been a rollercoaster ride for the slugs. Despite fielding a young team we’ve shown huge potential, exemplified by our National Indoor Championship this February. During our spring break trip, we faced some of the best teams in the nation, like Middlebury, Claremont, Cal Lutheran, and Redlands. After losing a string of hard matches, the guys have really come to understand the resolve needed to become one of the top teams. The month of April has been one of hard work for both players and coaches, and everyone is excited to showcase our progress at the Ojai Tournament this weekend.

Some potential highlights:
Pybas/Vartabedian are playing like one of the top teams in the nation, and are the number two seed in the doubles draw; this is Marc Vartabedian’s last apperance at Ojai, and we anticipate a strong finish. Leading the freshman class is Erich Koenig, one of the players seeded at number nine who has the potential to create a major upset. Other Slugs fielding the draw are Silvio Chiva, Aaron Morrill, Andre Halabi, Parker Larson, Shaun Herry. All eight players will compete against the best players in the Division III West region. Also competing in the Independent tournament are Sam Rodgers, Donald James, Ian Stanley, and Erik Rosner.

Follow this link to see the Ojai draws:
http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=82759