Feb. 16, 2014
SACRAMENTO -- The UC Davis men's tennis team claimed the doubles point before rallying for a trio of three-set singles victories on Sunday afternoon, handing rival Sacramento State a 6-1 defeat in a Causeway Cup clash at the Rio Del Oro Racket Club in Sacramento.
The win was the fourth straight for the Aggies (4-4), who snapped a seven-match losing streak to the Hornets in claiming their first win in the series since 2006. With the victory, UC Davis also snatched up five crucial points in the race for its second-consecutive Causeway Cup, increasing its lead in the series to, 46.25-23.75, with nine head-to-head meetings remaining.
Sacramento State fell to 2-4 overall with the loss.
"I'm really happy for our players to get the tough wins over the last few days," Head Coach Eric Steidlmayer said. "They had a great spirit during the first six weeks of the season in all the matches and it is especially gratifying to get these wins after all those close losses. It was a beautiful day today in Sacramento with great weather, a great crowd, a fun atmosphere, and a great opponent."
The doubles pairings of Alec Adamson and Adam Levie at No. 1, along with Brett Bacharach and Kyle Miller at No. 3, got the Aggies out to the early lead, posting 6-3 and 6-5 (7-3) wins, respectively, to clinch the doubles point for UC Davis for only the second time this season.
The two teams then went head-to-head in singles play as four of the matches were extended to pivotal three sets. Only freshman James Wade and senior Parker Kelley were able to clinch straight-set wins, as Wade improved to 16-5 overall on the year (7-1 in dual match play) while Kelley won his third-straight match to improve to 9-10 overall.
For Wade, it was his eighth win in his last nine singles contests and his fifth in a row -- the longest active streak by an Aggie this season -- as he was the first to finish at the No. 4 spot, rolling over Oliver Anderson, 6-1, 6-1. Kelley then followed with a 6-2, 6-4, victory over Joaquin Marquez at the No. 5 position, extending the Aggies' lead to 3-0.
Sophomore Adam Levie clinched the match for UC Davis with his win at No. 6 -- the first of the four three-set contests to finish -- rallying back from a 6-4 loss in the opening set to defeat Ayman Abdualwahab, 6-2, 6-4, in the final two sets.
UC Davis, which entered Sunday's dual with a combined 25-15 record in three-set matches, continued its success in such contests, as senior Kyle Miller also bounced back from a first set loss to defeat Roy Brandys, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3, at No. 1 singles before the Hornets broke up the shutout bid with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, win at No. 2 as Marek Marksoo defeated Alec Adamson.
Sophomore Brett Bacharach finished off the match with his team-best sixth, three-set win of the year at the No. 3 spot, defeating Niranjan Ram, 4-6, 6-4, 6-5 (7-2).
The Aggies return to the court on Friday (Feb. 21) at 4 p.m., heading to Southern California to take on No. 3-ranked USC on Friday (Feb. 21) at 4 p.m. in Los Angeles. The Trojans stand at 7-0 overall on the season and will face Ohio State in the championship match of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships on Monday following a 4-3 win over No. 2 UCLA on Sunday.
NCAA MEN'S TENNIS
UC Davis (4-4) at Sacramento State (2-4)
Feb. 16, 2014 - Rio Del Oro Racket Club (Sacramento, Calif.)
UC Davis 6, Sacramento State 1
DOUBLES
1. Alec Adamson/Adam Levie (UCD) def. Tom Miller/Marek Marksoo (SAC), 6-3
2. Parker Kelley/James Wade (UCD) vs. Niranjan Ram/Roy Brandys (SAC), unfinished
3. Brett Bacharach/Kyle Miller (UCD) def. Oliver Andersen/Ayman Abdulwahab (SAC), 6-5 (7-3)
Order of Finish: 1, 3
SINGLES
1. Kyle Miller (UCD) def. Roy Brandys (SAC), 4-6, 6-1, 6-3
2. Marek Marksoo (SAC) def. Alec Adamson (UCD), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
3. Brett Bacharach (UCD) def. Niranjan Ram (SAC), 4-6, 6-4, 6-5 (7-2)
4. James Wade (UCD) def. Oliver Anderson (SAC), 6-1, 6-1
5. Parker Kelley (UCD) def. Joaquin Marquez (SAC), 6-2, 6-4
6. Adam Levie (UCD) def. Ayman Abdulwahab (SAC), 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
Order of Finish: 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3
