Cal Poly men’s tennis will head to San Diego for the 2024 Big West Championships starting on Friday, April 26,
In last year’s tournament, the Mustangs lost in a close match to The University of Hawai’i in the first round of the tournament, losing 4-3.
The Mustangs, who finished with an even 9-9 regular season record and 4-2 in Big West play, have a solid chance to make their mark this year at the championship tournament, but it won’t come easy.
The Mustangs’ 2024 regular season had many ups and downs. From rain delays to shutout wins, they saw it all.
Through all sorts of unique adjustments, they didn’t falter throughout the season and will look to continue that in the tournament.
Player to keep an eye on
The Mustangs, who finished in third in the Big West, fared well throughout Big West play during the regular season.
Cal Poly only suffered two conference losses, to the No. 2 seeded UC Irvine and No. 1 seed UC Santa Barbara.
The Mustangs defeated Hawai’i in their first conference match of the season, followed by a sweep against UC Riverside. Later in the season, they easily defeated UC Davis and UC San Diego.
Junior Bastiaan Weststrate has played a significant role in helping the Mustangs secure the No. 3 seed in the tournament, winning nine of his eighteen matches.
Redshirt senior Colter Smith has also helped the Mustangs prosper this season. Smith and Westrate played every doubles match together this season and suffered only two losses while on the court together.
Other Mustangs who had notable performances this season include freshman Sean Kamyshev, who won 10 of his 18 singles matches this season.
Kamyshev and fellow freshman Raz Haviv were paired up together for doubles and only lost three doubles matches throughout their regular season.
Kamyshev and Weststrate both only suffered one singles loss during Big West play this season, making them players to keep an eye on this weekend.
The Tournament itself
On the top of the bracket, No. 4 seed UC Davis will face No. 5 seed Hawai’i in the first round. The winner will move on to face the No. 1 seed and arguably the biggest threat in the tournament, UC Santa Barbara.
The two teams the Mustangs most likely need to overcome in this tournament are none other than the two teams they lost to in conference play this season, No. 2 seed UC Irvine and No. 1 seed UC Santa Barbara.
The Mustangs have a tough tournament ahead of them, but there’s a chance we’ll see them at the top of the podium at the end of this year’s Big West Championship.
The Big West men’s tennis championship begins on Friday, April 26th, in San Diego, CA. The Mustangs will play No. 6 seed UC Riverside in the first-round quarterfinals.