Broncos Upset No. 19 San Diego
By Gabe Taylor
The Santa Clara men's tennis team continued its impressive season over the weekend, this time knocking off a top 20 university for the first time in school history. With the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament within reach, the Broncos upset victory over No. 19 San Diego showed that the team is refusing to let an at-large bid slip away.
"I don't even know if I could put it into words, how big of a win it was for us," said Head Coach Derek Mills.
Holding a record of 19-4 (5-1 in the WCC), No. 30 Santa Clara hosted the Toreros with a chance at claiming second place in the WCC and catching the eyes of the NCAA Committee two weeks before at-large bids will be awarded.
"The team has been dedicated to working really hard and pushing each other everyday in practice and having each other's backs in matches," said senior Kyle Dandan.
Dandan, who was individually ranked at No.76 before the match, led the Broncos with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over No. 36 Nikola Bubnic of San Diego. It was the fifth conference win for the Broncos, whose sole loss in the WCC came at the hands of conference leader Pepperdine.
"I think (Dandan's) now seeing, with the focus and the practice habits coming together, that he's really finishing out his senior season really strong," said Mills, praising the senior's play as of late.
Dandan's crucial win over Bubnic catapulted him eight spots forward to No. 68 in the nation.
"All the credit to him," said Mills. "He's done a fabulous job of taking some advice that we gave him, and he's really put it together in the practices and in the matches."
With two conference games remaining on the schedule before the West Coast Conference Tournament kicks off, the Broncos are in need of wins over the University of Portland (2-4 in conference) and Gonzaga (1-5) to avoid falling out of NCAA Tournament contention.
"You look at Portland and Gonzaga and you say, 'oh well we should go in there and beat them pretty easily,' but that's really not the case," said Mills.
Due to rainy, unpredictable weather, Santa Clara will challenge the Pilots and the Bulldogs indoors - an atmosphere in which they are not unaccustomed to playing.
"We have the bull's-eye on our back now," said Mills, commenting on how both teams will be gunning for them.
Despite past goals to just fight for a WCC Championship, the Broncos headed into this season with their eyes fixed directly on the NCAA Tournament. In order to fulfill their higher aspirations, Mills predicts they will have to finish amid the top 40 in the nation.
"We just need to continue what we're doing," said Dandan. "We respect every single team we play, whether they're a top 10 team or an unranked team, so we just try to focus and work hard."
At No. 30, the Broncos have put themselves in a position to receive an at-large bid.
"As long as we can take care of business, hopefully we'll be able to sneak in there," said Mills.
Contact Gabe Taylor at gtaylor@scu.edu or (408) 554-4852.