Saddleback Tennis takes the crown
2011 home opener 2 (Courtesy of Brad Hoiseth)
Saddleback College men’s tennis team wins Orange Empire Conference crown with a 9-1 record.
The lone loss of the season was to district rival Irvine Valley College on March 27 in a hard fought 3-6 match. The team finished 15-5 overall this season and await the decision of the seeding committee to see what seed they are placed.
If they are the higher seed then the Gauchos will have home court advantage in the first round of regional playoffs. The first round match was yesterday, check the Gaucho’s Athletics’ website for results.
This is the first title for the team since 2004 and the first under coach Bud Davis. This is Davis’ third season as coach. He has completely turned the program around from his first season when the team went winless in conference play.
The seven-year conference title draught was unusual for a program that has a history of winning.
Prior to the draught the Gauchos had won 12 straight conference titles and 25 titles in a 26 year span dating back to 1979. The only title they didn’t win was in 1992 when they finished second.