The seventh-ranked University of San Diego men’s tennis team can host up to three rounds of the NCAA Tournament, while the Toreros’ baseball team has climbed into first in the West Coast Conference race.
Elsewhere last weekend, San Diego State’s men’s golf team won a fourth straight Mountain West title in record fashion while the Cal State San Marcos women’s golf team claimed its sixth straight California Collegiate Athletic Association title.
The Toreros’ men’s tennis team will host UC Irvine at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Hogan Tennis Center. If the Toreros win the opening match, they will play the winner of Arizona State and USC at noon Sunday. Win again, and USD would host a third-round match the following May 9 or May 10.
This marks the first time USD has hosted the men’s tennis tournament.
“This is 10 years in the making,” USD coach Ryan Keckley said. “We’re hosting NCAA Tournament matches for the first time. I’m very proud of this team. They’ve been focused on the program reaching this next step.”
USD is led by Oliver Tarvet. The native of St. Albans, England, is ranked No. 3 among NCAA singles players and teams with Stian Klaassen to form a doubles team that has ranked as high as No. 1 in the nation. Savriyan Danilov, who is ranked No. 26 in the nation, is the No. 2 singles player followed by Klaassen (No. 83), Neo Niedner, Adrien Berrut, Blake Kasday and Nikhil Niranjan. Danilov and Berrut form the No. 2 doubles team, with Kasday and Niranjan at No. 3.
Tarvet has lost one match this spring season.
USD (24-3) defeated 23rd-ranked Pepperdine 4-2 in the WCC championship match at the Hogan Tennis Center to win its eighth WCC title in nine years. Both Tarvet and Kalassen won their singles matches and teamed as the nation’s fifth-ranked team to win their doubles match.
San Diego State’s women’s tennis team (17-7, 10-2) lost to Boise State 4-3 in the semifinals of the Mountain West championships after winning the regular season title. The top-seeded Aztecs blanked Wyoming 4-0 in the quarterfinals. The Aztec men’s tennis team (9-13) lost to Utah State 4-1 in their first-round match at the Mountain West tourney.
Senior Adriana Tabares won her match, but the UC San Diego women’s tennis team (11-11) lost 4-1 to UC Davis in the first round of the Big West Conference women’s tennis championships.
Elsewhere:
Led by individual champion Justin Hastings, San Diego State’s top four golfers all finished among the top eight individuals at the Mountain West championships in Creswell, Ore.
The Aztecs, who are ranked 17th nationally, finished with a 54-under-par 810 for the tournament to finish 23 strokes ahead of second-place UNLV. Hastings shot an 18-under 198 to defeat teammate Harry Takis by four strokes for the individual title. SDSU’s Nathan Simpson tied for fourth at 205 and Tyler Kowack (Canyon Crest Academy) was eighth at 207.
• Cal State San Marcos’ women’s golf team won the CCAA title by 10 strokes over Cal State Los Angeles in Santa Barbara. Cougars Madison Murr (222) and Makenna Cabardo (223) finished first and second, respectively, in individual play with Kiara Hernandez (226) tying for third and Regan Barton (238) finishing 15th. The CSUSM women are ranked eighth in Division II.
• San Marcos’ men’s golf team qualified for the NCAA Division II regionals with a seventh-place finish in the CCAA finals.
• USD’s baseball team (17-25, 11-4) took two of three at Gonzaga last weekend to edge past the Zags (19-21, 11-4) into first place in the WCC standings. The Toreros won Sunday’s series rubber match 15-9 behind back-to-back-to-back homers by AJ Beltre, AJ Anzai and Jayden Lobliner, a solo shot by Rex Watson, an RBI triple by Jack Gurevitch and a sacrifice fly by Austin Smith.
• After defeating Cal State Fullerton 13-3, San Diego State’s baseball team (15-30, 10-11) lost three straight at UNLV.
• Point Loma Nazarene (32-12, 28-10) ran its baseball winning streak to eight straight to strengthen its hold on second place in the PacWest Conference.
• The state community college baseball and softball playoffs start this week.
Pacific Coast Athletic Association baseball champion Palomar College (30-10, 21-4), which is ranked No. 7 in California, will host Pasadena. PCAC runner-up Grossmont College (29-10, 19-6) will host Los Angeles Pierce. Southwestern College (23-17, 14-11) will travel to Cuesta and Mesa (22-18, 13-12) will open at Santa Ana.
PCAC champion Palomar (36-3, 15-0), which is now ranked the No. 1 softball team in the state, will host College of the Canyons in the opening round of the state playoffs. Mesa (24-15, 12-3) will open at El Camino.
• San Diego State’s softball team (30-16) traded 1-0 decisions at home with 12th-ranked Arizona. Grace Uribe allowed two hits over six shutout innings in the game the Aztecs won to be named the Mountain West Pitcher of the Week.
• Cal State San Marcos’ softball team lost three of four to Cal State East Bay. The Cougars are 35-18 heading into Wednesday’s opener of the CCAA postseason tournament.
• San Diego State’s 22nd-ranked women’s water polo team lost 16-9 to the University of the Pacific in the third-place game of the Golden Coast Conference postseason tournament.
