UCLA men’s tennis rearranges team, defeats St. Mary’s

When dark clouds and heavy rain swept over Moraga, Calif. on Feb. 8, the match between the men’s tennis teams of UCLA and St. Mary’s was canceled. About one month later, under the warm sunshine of Los Angeles, UCLA brought its own storm down upon St. Mary’s, sweeping the Gaels in a 4-0 victory.

The win over St. Mary’s on Sunday was the fourth straight victory for UCLA, and improved the Bruins’ regular season record to 11-1.

Despite coming off an emotional victory over a Virginia team ranked second in the nation, the Bruins maintained a high level of energy against the Gaels.

UCLA’s dominant performance ended the match before St. Mary’s could put any points on the board. The large margin of victory also provided the team with an opportunity to work on any flaws in its game.

“It definitely allowed me to work on things today. You can always get better out there and I tried to do some things I don’t normally do,” said freshman Mackenzie McDonald.

One noticeable recent improvement in the Bruins’ game recently has been in their doubles play. In previous matches this season, the team had struggled to consistently win the doubles point.

“Last week we decided to change up the teams a little bit because we weren’t winning any doubles points early on,” said junior Marcos Giron.

After making adjustments to their teams, the Bruins have won the doubles point in their past two matches. The players seem to have a growing confidence in their new system.

“It’s coming together. I think me and Gage (Brymer) are playing really well together. I think we are going to be a strong team,” McDonald said.

The Bruins will need reliabledoubles play later in the season, especially against tougher opponents where every point counts.

UCLA’s next challenge will take place at home on Wednesday against No. 12 Baylor (8-4).

Compiled by Sam DeMello, Bruin Sports contributor.