The City College men’s tennis team proved that teamwork is essential, as two teams of doubles qualified for the Southern California Regional in Long Beach at the end of the month.
City College’s duos of Ryan Sweeny and Elliot Markowitz, and Alex Zazove and Zach Scott, each won their matches in the round of 16 at the Western States Conference championships on Saturday at Pershing Park.
Sweeny and Markowitz, the No. 2 seeded pair, headed straight to the round of 16 after a bye. The duo proved that the bye and the high seed were well deserved, as they shut out a duo from Hancock 6-0 in both sets.
Not far behind Sweeney and Markowitz were teammates Zazove and Scott, the No. 4 seeded pair. City College’ s second duo ousted a doubles team from Bakersfield, 6-3 and 6-1, earning a bid to the Southern California Regional.
A total of eight doubles teams are given the privilege to compete in the regional, based on their performance in the Western State Conference championships.
“It pretty much played out the way it was seeded,” said fourth year Head Coach Don Lowry. “It’s really a great tournament.”
Lowry, named WSC’s coach of the year in men’s tennis last year, won the WSC singles tournament back in 1979.
The singles were played on Friday, and the Vaqueros struggled to earn a bid to the regional individually.
City College’s No. 1 player, Ryan Sweeney, was the fifth seed heading into the singles tournament. After a bye, Sweeny fell to the 15th seed Joey Tressieros of Glendale.
The City College freshman was battling a shoulder injury through out the match.
City College’s four competitors in the singles tournament all failed to earn a bid to the regional, but the teamwork of Markowitz, Sweeney, Zazove, and Scott, proved to be good enough to extend the Vaquero’s season in doubles competition.
The Vaqueros will be competing in the Ojai Invitational on April 23, and will head to Long Beach City College for the Regional on April 30, with hopes to advance to the state championships that take place in Sacramento in May.
