Men's Tennis Puts up a Fight Against Ventura
March 17, 2026
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Santa Barbara City College Men's Tennis got its second chance against conference-leading Ventura in five days on Tuesday at home. The result showed improvement in a lot of areas for the Vaqueros, who were defeated 8-1.
Doubles No. 1 Ludwig Chan and Loris Alem played at a high level against heavy pace. Chan was reading serve returns well and putting the Ventura opponents on their heels, and overall the communication and team work by the Vaqs' No. 1 team continues to improve. They worked their way to a set point at 7-6 but could not break the Ventura service game. The final set score ended up 9-7.
The singles also proved to be much closer than the first contest on the road againat Ventura. Though the conditions were adverse with record heat, both teams competed hard and had well-constructed points. The Vaqs' No. 4 Nick Bosch-Garza had a positive, fiery start with a 6-2 first-set win. His opponent Cotti-Helme rebounded by winning the second set and then the third set super breaker 10-5.
"Nick showed grit and has great wheels, and he continues to improve on his game," head coach Danny Echt said.
At No. 6 singles, Dylan Buckland had his personal best victory against a well-rounded opponent, Vanbesien. The final score of his gutsy win was 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-2).
"Dylan has really stepped up his return game and is taking the ball early very effectively, which is putting court pressure on his opponents," Echt said. "On top of that, Dylan is making great strides in the mental game, showing composure and staying in a fighting spirit without mistakes derailing his effort. He showed resilience after losing the first set 2-6 to take the next two sets 6-2, 7-6."
The Vaqueros travel to Bakersfield on Thursday and will host Orange Coast at 2 p.m. on Friday at SBCC.