Pirate Tennis Falls to Riverside

For the first time in nearly five years, the Pirates' men;s tennis team dropped a regular-season match against community college competition on Friday. VC fell at Riverside 5-4 in the tightly contested match with the Tigers. VC sophomore Julian Tellez won a pair of points with a win in the No. 3 doubles match with partner Edgar Ploquin and a win in the No. 3 singles contest.

With Ventura's top play Cody Ray Emery out with an injury, the Pirates all moved up a spot in their match up against the Tigers.

In doubles play, Robinson Pelluault and Thomas Lindner fell in the No. 2 slot to open the match before Tellez and Ploquin evened the score with an 8-5 win in the No. 3 match. RCC took the 2-1 advantage with a narrow 8-6 win over Rafael Matias and Lucas Abreau in No. 1 doubles.

The Tigers extended the lead to 3-1 with a win in No. 5 singles before Tellez triumphed in No. 3 singles 6-3, 6-1. Thomas Lindner won in No. 6 singles 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 to square he match before Abreau dropped a three-set heartbreaker at No. 2, 6-4, 4-6, 11-9. Riverside clinched the win with a three-set victory in the No. 1 singles match, 6-4, 4-6, 10-3 before Pelluault finished the day with a 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 10-2 win in the No. 4 slot.

The loss ends Ventura's 46-match regular season winning streak against community college teams dating back to a March 15, 2019 loss to Foothill College.

The Pirates will seek to rebound when they return to Western State Conference play on Tuesday March 5 at Bakersfield. 

Ventura 4, Riverside 5

Doubles
1. Rafael Matias/Lucas Abreau (VC) lost to Emilio Real/Matias Almeida-Ponce (RCC), 8-6
2. Robinson Pelluault/Thomas Lindner (VC) lost to Lance Lao/Michael Chang (RCC), 8-3
3. Julian Tellez/Edgar Ploquin (VC) def. Raphael Delente/Maurice Nolan (RCC), 8-5

Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1

Singles
1. Matias (VC) lost to Real (RCC), 6-4, 4-6, 10-3
2. Abreau (VC) lost to Chang (RCC), 6-4, 4-6, 11-9
3. Tellez (VC) def. Delente (RCC), 6-3, 6-1 
4. Pelluault (VC) def. Almeida-Ponce (RCC), 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 10-2
5. Ploquin (VC) lost to Austin Harvill (RCC) 6-3, 6-2
6. Lindner (VC) def. Lao (RCC), 7-6 (7-3), 6-2

Order of Finish: 5, 3, 6, 2, 1, 4