With a shot at the Big West regular season title on the line, Cal Poly Women’s Tennis was unable to muster an answer to their Blue-Green rival UC Santa Barbara in a senior day season finale.
The Mustangs (12-9, 7-2 Big West) came up short against the Gauchos (16-8, 9-0 Big West) in a 4-0 loss at home on Saturday, April 18.
Seniors Kennedy Buntrock, Alexandra Ozerets and Sarah McCallum, were honored by their team and coaches in front of their family and friends after the match for a warm appreciation for their time on the team.
“It’s been the best four years so far, and I can’t wait to make it even more memorable next week,” Buntrock said.
Cal Poly alumni Jeanne Meyers and her coach Sonya Glassmeyer attended the match as well and shared their experience with the women’s tennis program before it became a NCAA recognized sport.
The two host reunions with their old team and both now reside in Paso Robles, not too far from their old stomping grounds.
An intense final match
The loss drops the Mustangs to 12-9 overall and 7-2 in conference play, securing the No. 2 seed in next week’s Big West Championships in San Diego. UC Santa Barbara improved to 15-8 and finished a perfect 9-0 in conference.
“For the most part, I thought we did a great job,” Buntrock said. “I mean you never know who’s going to come out and get you that day. I think what is just the amazing part is we were fighting till the very end.”
The dual opened with a tight doubles point. Cal Poly evened things up with a 6-2 win at No. 3 from sisters Sarah and Jessica MacCallum, but UC Santa Barbara clinched the point with a long tiebreak victory at No. 1.
In singles, the Gauchos took control with straight-set wins at No. 3 and No. 6 to build a 3-0 lead. The match was decided at No. 4, where Ozerets forced a second-set tiebreak but ultimately fell, sealing the sweep for UC Santa Barbara and leaving the other three singles matches unfinished.
The Big West Championships
Although the Mustangs are done with their season at home, they still have much to do before stepping off the court this season.
Cal Poly is headed down to San Diego to compete in the Big West semifinals at 1 p.m. on Friday.
“We’ve had an incredible year so far, and I’m just ready to cap it off with another strong finish,” Buntrock said.