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Los Angeles, CA – Men's tennis won both their matches over last weekend, furthering their conference record to 4-1 post matches. They first beat Cal Lutheran at home with a near sweep, 8-1. Going into the match the Oxy men were ranked #39 in the country and Cal Lu were #36. The next day the Tigers topped Redlands, ranked #21 in the country, with a 6-3 win.
Matt O'Connor, who won all his singles and doubles matches over that weekend, was named SCIAC athlete of the week. It was the second time that the junior from Oakton, VA has received the honor this season.
Against Cal Lu on Friday, the men started off strong with a clean sweep in doubles. At #1 Doubles Matt O'Connor and Seth Lipe won 8-3. At #2, David Zhang and Brett Miller won 8-4. Zach Haas and Ridley Potter got the final win 8-3 at the #3 spot.
In singles, the men won five of the six matches in straight sets. Matt O'Connor, Sam Coan, and David Zhang all won respectively at the #1, #2, and #3 spots. O'Connor won 6-1, 6-3. Coan won 6-3, 6-2. Zhang won 6-1, 6-1.
Seth Lipe had a close first set, but ultimately lost at #4. At #5 singles, Zach Haas took the win 6-3, 6-1. Finally, Brett Miller blasted through his match, winning 6-2, 6-0 at #6 over the Royals.
Redlands (#21)
Against Redlands, the Tigers faced even steeper opposition, since the Bulldogs had earned a ranking of #21 in the nation prior to the duel. After again sweeping in doubles play, the Oxy Men were able to seal the victory by winning three singles matches.
Matt O'Connor and Seth Lipe took a huge win at the #1 doubles spot. It was a tight pro-set, but in key moments the pair was able to withstand the pressure and win more points. O'Connor and Lipe took the win 8-6.
At #2 doubles, David Zhang and Brett Miller also had a close match which culminated in a tiebreaker. There, they got an early lead and were able to get up a couple mini-breaks. They won the tiebreaker 7-4. At #3 doubles, Zach Haas and Ridley Potter earned a solid 8-4 victory.
In singles, O'Connor earned several breaks of serve, and with his own strong serve, he was able to shut-out his opponent at #1. By applying the pressure, he won the match 6-3, 6-4. At #2, Sam Coan had a tough match-up. He lost the first set 2-6 to the Bulldogs but fought hard in the second set, pushing it to 6-games-all for a tiebreaker.
At #3, David Zhang dominated from the baseline, capitalizing on his strong serve and executing winning shots with his forehand. He took a quick 6-1, 6-2 victory over the Bulldogs.
Although the Tigers lost at the #4 and #5 spots, Brett Miller was able to secure a final win at #6. His match featured long, cross-court rallies from the baseline. Miller played smart and won that match 6-4, 6-2.
Next Match: The Tigers will have their last conference match on Sunday, May 1 at Chapman with a 10:00 AM start.
