SALT LAKE CITY - The University of Utah men's tennis team was unable to record a victory earlier today, as they dropped thier match to 46th ranked with with a score of 2-4. With this loss, the Utes will now move to an overall record of 15-8 on the season, with a 1-4 record in Pac-12 conference play.
"We have to continue to work hard and be stubborn about not losing to these teams. We are a good team, we have put in a lot of hard work and we are due for a big win, it's just a matter of time. Cal has a tough team, always well coached," said head coach Roeland Brateanu. "Kuddos to them to steal this one away from us. But now is not the time to feel sorry for ourselves. We have yet another opportunity to beat a historic powerhouse team and we still have everything to play for. I look forward to yet another battle tomorrow on Senior Day!"
The Utes started the day off strong, as they were able to earn the doubles point against Cal. On court 1,
Slava Shainyan and
David Micevski were able to defeat 17th ranked Jacob Brumm and Yuta Kikuchi with a score of 6-3.
Joe Woolley and
Russell Benkaim then sealed the point with a win at the No. 3 spot, defeating Jack Molloy and Mert Zincirli with a score of 6-4.
After a Utah loss at the No. 4 spot, Cal was able to even the score at 1-1 in singles. At the No. 1 position, 54th ranked
Dan Little then pitched in a singles victory of his own, as he was able to defeat Yuta Kikuchi with a score of 6-4, 6-2. The Utes then loss on courts 3, 5 and 6, to allow Cal to complete the comeback, losing to the Bears with a final score of 2-4.
The University of Utah men's tennis team will be back in action tomorrow afternoon for their final home match of the season, as they will take on 12th ranked Stanford. This final home match will also be senior day, as the collegiate careers of
Dan Little,
David Micevski, and
Joe Woolley will be recognized. The match against the Cardinal is set to take place at 2 p.m. MT at the Eccles Tennis Center.
#46 Cal 4, Utah 2
Doubles (1,3)
Shainyan/Micevski (UTAH) def. No. 17 Brumm/Kikuchi (CAL), 6-3
Little/Hankuliyev (UTAH) vs. Barretto/Kaya (CAL), 5-5, unf.
Woolley/Benkaim (UTAH) def. Molloy/Zincirli (CAL), 6-4
Singles (4,1,3,5,6)
No. 54
Dan Little (UTAH) def. Yuta Kikuchi (CAL), 6-4, 6-2
David Micevski (UTAH) vs. Jack Molloy (CAL), 7-6, 5-5, unf.
Paul Barretto (CAL) def.
Slava Shainyan (UTAH), 6-2, 7-5
Ben Draper (CAL) def.
Russell Benkaim (UTAH), 6-3, 6-1
Bjorn Hoffmann (CAL) def.
Mathias Gavelin (UTAH), 4-6, 6-1, 6-3
Mert Zincirli (CAL) def.
Joe Woolley (UTAH), 7-5, 7-6