Photo by: UCR Athletics Media Relations
Ryan's Remarks: Another Blog From Men's Tennis Player Ryan Stanbury
1/28/2011 12:46:43 PM | Men's Tennis
UC Riverside men's tennis senior Ryan Stanbury has started writing a blog for gohighlanders.com. Curious about what it's like to be a student-athlete at an NCAA Division I institution? Then Ryan's Remarks are for you!
Check out Ryan's fourth installment on the 2010-11 Highlanders men's tennis program below, or brush up on his first three blogs. Want to ask Ryan questions? Go ahead and email your questions and he will answer them for you on this blog.
Going into the NAU and Arizona matches, Coach Strother alerted the team that the line-up was going to be shaken up, particularly in doubles as the pairings we had for the opening weekend did not produce the desired results.
We had a light practice on Thursday the 20th, and then jumped into two white Chevrolet Suburban’s and caravanned our way over to Phoenix. However, before we got on the road, we stopped at a local Mongolian BBQ restaurant that I had never frequented before, but am happy to report is the new love of my life.
It was in some ways a fluke that we ended up here, but we were joined on this trip by the venerable Kisha E. Calbert, academic counselor in the UC Riverside athletics department. Since as a team we only have a budget for one coach, when we venture on overnight or weekend trips we need an additional member of the athletics staff to join us for driving and logistical purposes. Fortunately for all of us, Kisha Calbert is an unofficial culinary aficionado, and she recommended this spot for a pre-trip meal.
At this fine establishment you really get the best of both worlds, for one flat rate you get to essentially create your own stir-fry by selecting the meat, vegetables, and sauces that go into your dish. I consulted with Austin Andres prior to my order since he is quite experienced in these matters, and I’m happy to report that he picked a winner. I had a delicious beef and vegetable plate with just the right amount of spice and flavor. I’ve been back there since and intend on going over there as much as I can during my final year here in Riverside.
After a pleasant five-hour drive to Phoenix, we arrived at our hotel and had a team card game prior to bed. This is somewhat of a team tradition that we partake in when on the road because it brings everyone together and usually garners quite a few laughs.
Our match against NAU the next day was a tough pill to swallow as once again we were in a tie-breaker at court 1 in doubles, and despite having match points we could not pull out the W. This came back to bite us as we lost a close match 4-3.
After the match we had a hearty meal at a local hamburger place and then got on the road. Under normal circumstances, pleasant would not be the word to describe this ride through desolate Arizona at 11 at night, but after another 4-3 loss in which opportunities to win were once again squandered, this ride was borderline unbearable. We arrived at our modern looking hotel a shade before midnight, and quickly showered and got ready for bed as we had an early match the next day against the 32nd ranked Arizona Wildcats.
The tennis stadium at U of A is one of the nicest college facilities I have played in during my UCR career. The courts are well-maintained and the exterior shrubbery is immaculately manicured. Although it was an early (by college student standards) 11 am match, there was a crowd of at least 100 people in the stands for the match.
Although they were predominately U of A supporters, we all got pretty pumped up thanks to the boisterous cheering of Kevin “KG” Griffin’s family who was seated in the front row. Big up to the Griffin’s for getting HUGE!
We played inspired doubles, Coach Strother even commented afterwards that it was the best doubles he had seen in 10 years as coach at UC Riverside. Unfortunately, this was once again not enough as we lost the decisive doubles point in a tie-breaker AGAIN, this time on court two. In the tie-breaker, Kevin Griffin and Felix Macharez jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead, silencing the Wildcat faithful and causing Arizona Coach Tad Berkowitz to squirm with anxiety.
However, the 32rd ranked Wildcats maintained their composure and rattled off 7 straight points to claim the match and doubles point. In singles we failed to win a set as the Wildcats used their momentum from doubles to quickly send us packing.
We are looking forward to some home cooking and are hoping to get our first win of the season in our home opener this Saturday against Vanguard at 9am. I know it’s early but we’d love to have some supporters out for the match…bring your morning coffee and a cranberry scone and bask in the beautiful morning sunshine. See you there.
Check out Ryan's fourth installment on the 2010-11 Highlanders men's tennis program below, or brush up on his first three blogs. Want to ask Ryan questions? Go ahead and email your questions and he will answer them for you on this blog.
Going into the NAU and Arizona matches, Coach Strother alerted the team that the line-up was going to be shaken up, particularly in doubles as the pairings we had for the opening weekend did not produce the desired results.
We had a light practice on Thursday the 20th, and then jumped into two white Chevrolet Suburban’s and caravanned our way over to Phoenix. However, before we got on the road, we stopped at a local Mongolian BBQ restaurant that I had never frequented before, but am happy to report is the new love of my life.
It was in some ways a fluke that we ended up here, but we were joined on this trip by the venerable Kisha E. Calbert, academic counselor in the UC Riverside athletics department. Since as a team we only have a budget for one coach, when we venture on overnight or weekend trips we need an additional member of the athletics staff to join us for driving and logistical purposes. Fortunately for all of us, Kisha Calbert is an unofficial culinary aficionado, and she recommended this spot for a pre-trip meal.
At this fine establishment you really get the best of both worlds, for one flat rate you get to essentially create your own stir-fry by selecting the meat, vegetables, and sauces that go into your dish. I consulted with Austin Andres prior to my order since he is quite experienced in these matters, and I’m happy to report that he picked a winner. I had a delicious beef and vegetable plate with just the right amount of spice and flavor. I’ve been back there since and intend on going over there as much as I can during my final year here in Riverside.
After a pleasant five-hour drive to Phoenix, we arrived at our hotel and had a team card game prior to bed. This is somewhat of a team tradition that we partake in when on the road because it brings everyone together and usually garners quite a few laughs.
Our match against NAU the next day was a tough pill to swallow as once again we were in a tie-breaker at court 1 in doubles, and despite having match points we could not pull out the W. This came back to bite us as we lost a close match 4-3.
After the match we had a hearty meal at a local hamburger place and then got on the road. Under normal circumstances, pleasant would not be the word to describe this ride through desolate Arizona at 11 at night, but after another 4-3 loss in which opportunities to win were once again squandered, this ride was borderline unbearable. We arrived at our modern looking hotel a shade before midnight, and quickly showered and got ready for bed as we had an early match the next day against the 32nd ranked Arizona Wildcats.
The tennis stadium at U of A is one of the nicest college facilities I have played in during my UCR career. The courts are well-maintained and the exterior shrubbery is immaculately manicured. Although it was an early (by college student standards) 11 am match, there was a crowd of at least 100 people in the stands for the match.
Although they were predominately U of A supporters, we all got pretty pumped up thanks to the boisterous cheering of Kevin “KG” Griffin’s family who was seated in the front row. Big up to the Griffin’s for getting HUGE!
We played inspired doubles, Coach Strother even commented afterwards that it was the best doubles he had seen in 10 years as coach at UC Riverside. Unfortunately, this was once again not enough as we lost the decisive doubles point in a tie-breaker AGAIN, this time on court two. In the tie-breaker, Kevin Griffin and Felix Macharez jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead, silencing the Wildcat faithful and causing Arizona Coach Tad Berkowitz to squirm with anxiety.
However, the 32rd ranked Wildcats maintained their composure and rattled off 7 straight points to claim the match and doubles point. In singles we failed to win a set as the Wildcats used their momentum from doubles to quickly send us packing.
We are looking forward to some home cooking and are hoping to get our first win of the season in our home opener this Saturday against Vanguard at 9am. I know it’s early but we’d love to have some supporters out for the match…bring your morning coffee and a cranberry scone and bask in the beautiful morning sunshine. See you there.
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