Men's Tennis
San Diego City clinched at least a share of the Inland Empire Athletic Conference championship after getting a 6-1 victory over College of the Desert on Friday to stay undefeated (8-0) in conference play. The Knights can secure the outright title with one win in their final two IEAC matches.
San Diego City, ranked No. 6 in Southern California, earned two big victories this week, including a narrow 5-4 win over No. 10 Mt. San Antonio to stay undefeated in conference and an 8-1 home win over No. 7 Fullerton on Friday.
The Knights won their third straight match on Tuesday after sweeping Victor Valley, 9-0, to improve to 8-6 overall and 7-2 in the Inland Empire Athletic Conference. It was the second consecutive win by a sweep and also the second time this season that the San Diego City has blanked Victor Valley.
The final Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings of the 2023 season were released on Tuesday and the Knights finished as the No. 18 team in the state after going 9-7 overall and 8-4 in the Inland Empire Conference, which was good for third place.
City's No. 1 doubles team of Brian Espinoza and Eduardo Castillo earned All-Inland Empire Athletic Conference honors by advancing to the semifinals of the conference championship tournament and also qualified for the state championship tournament. Espinoza also earned All-IEAC in singles by making it to the quarterfinals. Porter Niccum and Danny Cao are also headed to state by qualifying in doubles.
The Knights played a home doubleheader on Thursday and dominated Imperial Valley with two 8-1 victories to improve to 6-1 in the IEAC and 7-3 overall. The Knights, who have won four in a row, are now ranked No. 9 in Southern California according to the first Intercollegiate Tennis Associaton rankings released on March 8.
The Knights took care of business at home with a 7-2 win over Mt. San Jacinto to improve to 3-1 overall and 3-0 in the Inland Empire Athletic Conference. The Knights won two-of-three doubles matches and five of the six singles matches to earn their second straight win.
It came down the the final singles match once again and Porter Niccum came through with a straight sets win to give the Knights a 5-4 victory at El Camino. It was their second win in the last three matches with that same score.
Andrew Suver is headed to the state championship after winning two matches at the Southern California regional tournament on Friday. The state tournament will be held at the Mount San Antonio College tennis courts on Friday, May 6 and Saturday, May 7.
San Diego City got past Riverside, 5-0, last week in the opening round of the CCCAA men's tennis Southern California regional playoffs, but the Knights' run ended on Tuesday with a 5-0 loss at undefeated Ventura (18-0) in a regional semifinal. It was a great season nonetheless with the Knights posting a 14-4 overall record which gives this year's team the highest winning percentage (.778) since Brandon Lupian took over in 2007. Coach Lupian recently took part in an interview with City Times to discuss the team's success this season as well as his career.
The San Diego City College men's tennis team has advanced to a regional semifinal after dispatching No. 5 Riverside 5-0 in Tuesday's first round match. The Knights, who have made the playoffs in four consecutive seasons have now made it past the first round in successive postseasons.
The San Diego City College men's tennis team is set to host a first round California Community College Athletic Association Southern California regional playoff on Tuesday, April 5 at 2 p.m. The Knights are seeded No. 4 and will match up against No. 5 Riverside.
The Knights wrapped up the Inland Empire Athletic Conference season with a 9-0 home victory over Mt. San Jacinto to secure a second place finish with a 10-2 record. Thursday's win was the fifth straight by way of a sweep and the eighth time the Knights have blanked a team this season.
The Knights had their six-match win streak snapped on March 15 by first-place College of the Desert, but the Knights responded by winning three straight since, including a 9-0 win at Victor Valley. City improved to 12-2 overall and 9-2 in the Inland Empire Athletic Conference, which is good for second place.
The Knights earned their sixth straight victory on Thursday by sweeping Mt. San Antonio, 9-0, and improving to 9-1 overall and 7-1 in the Inland Empire Athletic Conference. It was City's fourth 9-0 sweep of the season and second in the last three matches.
San Diego City's men's tennis team won its fifth consecutive match on Thursday, 7-2, over El Camino to improve to 8-1 overall and 6-1 in the Inland Empire Athletic Conference. The Knights swept all three doubles matches and won four of the six singles matches to earn their second win over El Camino this season.
