LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The UCSD team of Austin West and Devon Sousa won the doubles championship at the USTA/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Regional Championships Saturday on the campus of Cal State L.A.
West and Sousa defeated Grand Canyon's Ahmed Saleem and Bastien Tonus by a score of 8-2 to win the ITA West Region title. With the victory, the duo earned a trip to the ITA Small College National Championships, the only national championship event for singles and doubles at the NCAA Division II level.
It was a repeat for West, who won the 2010 ITA doubles championship with Erik Elliott.
West, a junior, and Sousa, a sophomore, began their day with a solid 8-4 win in the semifinals over Stephan Murray and Patrice Giraldi of Grand Canyon.
Sophomore Max Jiganti dropped a 6-2, 6-4 decision to BYU-Hawaii's Yevhen Zakharov in the singles championship match.
Sousa warmed up for his doubles matches by winning two singles contests to top the consolation field. In the semifinals, he beat Sonoma State's Garret Gooch, 8-4. He took on Drexler Dy, also of Sonoma State, in the final and rolled to another 8-4 win.
The ITA National Small College Championships take place Oct. 13-16 at the Copeland-Cox Tennis Center in Mobile, Alabama. The singles and doubles champions from each collegiate level (NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, junior/community) will then compete to become the overall "Super Bowl" champions. The "Super Bowl" champions will earn wild cards into the USTA/ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships with the opportunity to win the culminating event held at the USTA-Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Nov. 3-6 in Flushing, N.Y.
2011 USTA/ITA West Region Championships
Oct. 1, 2011
Los Angeles, Calif.
Singles - Finals
Yevhen Zakharov (BYU-Hawaii) def. Max Jiganti (UCSD) 6-2, 6-4
Doubles - Semfinals
Austin West/Devon Sousa (UCSD) def. Stephane Murray/Patrice Giraldi (Grand Canyon) 8-4
Doubles - Finals
Austin West/Devon Sousa (UCSD) def. Ahmed Saleem/Bastien Tonus (Grand Canyon) 8-2
Consolation Singles - Semifinals
Devon Sousa (UCSD) def. Garret Gooch (Sonoma State) 8-4
Consolation Singles - Final
Devon Sousa (UCSD) def. Drexler Dy (Sonoma State) 8-4
- UCSDtritons.com -
