It is no secret that the UC Riverside men’s tennis team has exemplified little more than mediocrity over their eight seasons as a program, but this year they are beginning to show some life.
The men picked up their first shutout win of the season on Sat., Feb. 28, as they dominated visiting Concordia Irvine, 7-0. The win was the Highlanders’ third in their last four matches and put them at 5-8 overall on the year — their highest win total since the 2011-12 season.
On top of carrying this momentum into Sunday’s home match against Villanova (3-3), the team had added motivation as they looked to match the program’s highest win total in a season of six. The Highlanders managed to do so by way of a 6-1 landslide victory over Villanova, moving to 6-8 on the year and one win away from a program record for victories in a season.
It was not expected for UCR to look this much improved this early on under new head coach Mattias Johansson, however, the sense around the program is that Johansson has instilled a new, positive atmosphere for these players and they have undoubtedly thrived.
Men’s tennis is off for this upcoming week but will continue their season on Wed., March 9 with a home matchup against Westmont.
