There seem to be some growing pains for the UCR men’s tennis team. With the introduction of their new, well-accomplished head coach, Mattias Johansson, expectations were high going into the game on Saturday against University of Arizona. Although the Highlanders were looking optimistic with Johansson at their disposal, the match turned into a blowout early with Arizona taking charge from the first set and earned the victory, 7-0.
Despite the unfortunate start to the season, the new coach plans to eventually put an end to the streak of consecutive losing seasons that has accrued over the years for the team, and although his resume looks promising, it’s going to take some time for the team to meld in with his new style. Despite this, the team continues to look ahead rather than dwell in the past, as they prepare to face Eastern Washington and Idaho at the end of the month.
The women’s team, on the other hand, had a split week. The match against San Diego Christian College ended in favor of the Highlanders as the team stayed prudent in their approach. It ended in victory at 8-1 where most notably, Arabella Valera secured her first win, (6-3, 6-4) in straight sets. However, the team wasn’t so lucky the next day against San Diego State (1-0) which ended at 6-1 against the Highlanders. UCR currently stands at 1-2 and will face CSU Northridge in two weeks on Feb. 6.
With both teams being fairly young, UCR has yet to prove themselves in the world of tennis. As the women’s team had a record of 4-18 last season and the men closed out similarly at 4-16, neither team has given any reason to be looked out for as a serious contender. The current season shows no difference thus far, but as the program furthers and players continue to develop, both teams could look a lot different down the line, the teams may have a chance. What’s certain is that the current programs aren’t performing well and any moderate changes could yield an improvement.
