The unbeaten and 23rd-ranked California men's tennis team (6-0) hosts just its second home dual match of the regular season Saturday when UC Davis comes to town for a nonconference clash.
 
Vs UC Davis (2-2)
When: Saturday, Feb. 15, 10 a.m. PT
Where: Hellman Tennis Complex, Berkeley, Calif.
Live Stream: PlaySight
Live Scores: StatBroadcast
Admission: Free
 
Poll Position
Along with its No. 23 ranking in the ITA team poll, Cal is represented by five Bears in the singles rankings and one ranked pair in doubles, as Theo Dean and Carl Emil Overbeck, who boast a 14-5 record, are ranked 20th. Cal's singles rankings are No. 4 Overbeck (21-4), No. 35 Dean (18-8), No. 75 Alex Chang (15-7), No. 88 Derrick Chen (11-5) and No. 104 Timofey Stepanov (15-5).
 
Last Time: Bears Post Historic Sweep Of L.A. Schools In L.A.
Cal competed its first season sweep of USC and UCLA in Los Angeles in modern history when the Bears defeated the Trojans 4-3 on Feb. 2 at Marks Tennis Stadium. Timofey Stepanov clinched the victory over the Trojans in three sets over Volodymyr Iakubenko to wrap up a triumphant weekend that began with a 4-2 win over the 25th-ranked Bruins on Feb. 1.
 
The Bears' last overall sweep of USC and UCLA came in 2023 in Berkeley, where they beat the Bruins 4-0 and the Trojans 4-3.
 
The depth of the Cal roster – which produced the most entrants in the NCAA individual championships in November – was on full display in Los Angeles and contributed to the wins against USC, which has won the most (21) NCAA team titles, and UCLA, which ranks third (16) in NCAA team championships.
 
USC won the doubles point to take a 1-0 lead, the two teams traded results through the first five singles matches. Four of Cal's five nationally ranked singles players (based on ITA rankings at the time) produced big wins. Theo Dean, ranked 32nd, tied the overall match 1-1 for the Bears when he bested Nathan Trouve 7-5, 6-2, and later Cal's 66th-ranked Chang tied the match 2-2 when he topped Oscar Weightman 6-4, 6-2. Down 3-2, 102nd-ranked Derrick Chen won a tough three-setter 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 over Niels Hoffmann to knot the match at 3-3.
 
Stepanov, ranked 110th, had a challenging match against Iakubenko, particularly through the first two sets, with the Trojan winning the first 6-3 and the Cal sophomore taking the second 6-3. But, with his team cheering him on and occasionally serenading him from the sidelines, Stepanov dominated the final set 6-0 to clinch the match and set off an on-court celebration by the Bears.
 
Scouting the Bears

• Cal qualified the most entrants in the country – men or women – at the NCAA individual championships in November with six – four in singles and two in doubles
• Senior Carl Emil Overbeck had a stellar fall – he reached the second round of the NCAA Singles Championship, captured the singles title at the ITA Northwest Regional Championships, finished with Theo Dean as the doubles runners-up at regionals, and won the singles title and, with Dean, the doubles crown at the Battle in the Bay Classic
• In the Battle in the Bay singles quarterfinals, Overbeck upset top-ranked Ozan Baris of Michigan State 6-1, 4-6, 6-3
• Overbeck qualified for NCAA singles by virtue of reaching the ITA Northwest Regional Championships singles final in October
• Overbeck and Theo Dean qualified for the NCAA Doubles Championship at the ITA West Sectional Championships in early November, when the duo beat Nevada's Lucas Hammond and Youssef Kadiri 6-3, 6-3 in the semifinals
• Dean, a graduate transfer from Yale, has shone since his first weeks as a Bear, pairing with Overbeck in the fall to reach the doubles final at ITA regionals and win the doubles title at the Battle in the Bay Classic as well as upsetting top-ranked Baris 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 in the ITA All-American Championships singles round of 64 and reaching the singles semifinals at regionals
• Dean claimed his second NCAA berth when he bested UCLA's 104th-ranked Aadarsh Tripathi 7-5, 6-1 in the singles quarterfinals at the ITA West Sectional Championships
• Senior Alex Chang also qualified for NCAA singles when he won in the ITA West Sectional Championships quarterfinals, defeating UCLA's 96th-ranked Alexander Hoogmartens 6-4, 6-4
• Chang went on to defeat Dean, 6-3, 6-4 in the regional third-place match
• Chang and Mikey Wright (9-8) won the third-place match at ITA sectionals, defeating Nevada's Lucas Hammond and Youssef Kadiri 6-1, 6-1 to punch their ticket to the NCAA Doubles Championship
• Chang and Wright – both Berkeley products – reached the quarterfinals of the ITA All-American Championships and ITA Northwest Regional Championships in the fall
• Sophomore Timofey Stepanov defeated UCLA's 104th-ranked Aadarsh Tripathi 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in an ITA West Sectionals playoff match to earn his first trip to NCAA singles
• Kris Kwinta is in his fourth season as the Peter Wright Director of Men's Tennis
• Kwinta, a UCLA alumnus ('08), clinched the Bruins' 4-3, NCAA championship win over Baylor in 2005
• Kwinta joined Cal in 2021-22 after serving on the USC coaching staff for nine seasons
• Andrea Caligiana (Wichita State '20) is in his first season as a Cal assistant coach
• Former Santa Clara star Vasileios Iliopoulos is in his second season as a Cal assistant coach

 
Scouting the Aggies

• UC Davis plays at Sacramento State on Friday
• Lucas Bollinger (6-3) is ranked 93rd in singles
• The Aggies defeated Saint Mary's 4-1 on Feb. 9 in Moraga in their previous match
• Ryan Torres and Ivan Savkin clinched the doubles point against the Gaels when they beat Paulo Hugo Etchecoin and Thibaud Maxant 7-5 on court one
• Rithvik Katpelly clinched the overall win over Saint Mary's with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 win over Finn Dyer at court-four singles
• Eric Steidlmayer is in his 13th season as head coach of UC Davis

 
Next Time
Cal travels to North Carolina for its first ACC matches at NC State on Feb. 28 and at Wake Forest on March 2.
 
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