Jonathan Calienes Signs Letter of Intent to Play Tennis at UCR

(May 17, 2006) - Jonathan Calienes of Chino, CA has signed a national letter of intent to play tennis at UC Riverside beginning in the 2006-07 season.

Calienes has been beset by injuries over the past two years, but has gotten healthy and is now highly motivated, according to UCR Head Coach York Strother.

"His injury took him out of circulation and he was flying under the radar," Strother said. "We are excited about what Jonathan brings to the Highlanders. He is home grown, from the Inland Empire, and is an accomplished player who has been ranked in the top-20 in Southern California."

"I expect Jonathan to make an immediate impact, especially in doubles, which is his strength. He brings a high-powered transition-oriented game with him. He has the same values as the program. It is a great fit and he should have a great career here," he added.

At the age of 15, Calienes and his partner won the Pomona Valley Medical Center USTA Pro Event, winning the qualifying tournament and defeating a pair of future Division I players Shane LaPorte (BYU) and Chris Surapol (UCLA) in the final. That same summer, Calienes and his partner reached the main draw of the Mercedes Benz Cup, reaching the second round before falling to the No. 1 seed.

Highlanders Open Season With Success at UCI Tournament

(Oct, 6, 2006) - The UC Riverside men's tennis team opened the 2006-07 season Friday at the UC Irvine/Pre-Regional Challenge at the Anteater Tennis Stadium and Racquet Club of Irvine.

The tournament is indivdually scored, with no team scores being kept.

The Highlanders opened play against Loyola Marymount, taking five of the eight matches. Junior Joe Cartledge, sophomore Bobby Tam, sophomore Jordan Peana, sophomore Pedraum Rouhafza and freshman Jon Calienas all had singles wins. In doubles play, the teams of Mark Contreras and Calienes, Cartledge and Tam and Peana and Rouhafza were victorious.

The Highlanders weren't as successful against ASU, losing six singles matches.

The tournament continues Saturday and Sunday with round-robin play.

Weekend Play Brings More Wins at UCI Tournament

(Oct. 9, 2006) - The UC Riverside men's tennis team continued to perform well on Saturday and Sunday at the UC Irvine/Pre-Regional Challenge at the Anteater Tennis Stadium and Racquet Club of Irvine.

The tournament is indivdually scored, with no team scores being kept.

After taking five of eight matches Friday against Loyola Marymount but dropping six singles matches versus Arizona State, UCR posted five victories against Northern Arizona before taking five against Big West Conference foe Cal Poly

The highlight of the weekend was the play of freshman Jonathan Calienes and Mark Contreras, who went 4-0 as the Highlanders' #1 doubles team. Calienes also went 2-0 in singles play.

UCR's fall schedule continues October 18-22 at the ITA Regionals in Malibu.

Highlanders Advance at Wilson/ITA Regionals First Day

(Oct. 18, 2006) - Freshman Jon Calienes advanced through the first day of qualifying Wednesday as UC Riverside opened play at the Wilson/ITA Western Regional (South) Tennis Championships hosted by Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA. Calienes will play Thursday in the main draw, where he will be joined by fellow Highlanders senior Mark Contreras, junior Joe Cartledge, and sophomore Bobby Tam. All four of UCR’s doubles teams advanced to the second round of the main draw.

Calienes won both of his qualifyiing matches to move into the main draw. After a first round bye, he defeated Renzo Maggi of Loyola Marymount, 6-1, 7-6. He then downed Sammy Atri of San Diego, 6-2, 6-2 to proceed to Thursday’s play.

Sophomore Jordan Peana also progressed to the third round of qualifying, beating Dmitry Popov of LMU 6-4, 6-1 in the first round and then outlasting Levon Brown of San Diego 7-5, 6-7, 10-7. The second round marathon took some energy out of Peana, who then fell to UC Santa Barbara’s Josh Finkelstein 6-2, 7-5.

Freshman Hakop Tadevosian had a fine debut for UCR, winning his first round match 6-4, 6-2 over Nigel Barton of UCSB before another epic match saw him falling 7-5, 2-6, 10-7 to UC Irvine’s Andrew Bertolina.

Sophomore Gorjan Kovacevic also progressed out of the first round, rallying from a set down to beat Pepperdine’s Troy Aiken 4-6, 6-1, 11-9. He then lost to Finkelstein 6-1, 6-4. Junior Pedraum Rouhafza was also competing in the qualifying stage but dropped his first round match against Brown, 6-3, 6-3.

In doubles action, all four Highlander teams advanced to the second round of the main draw. Cartledge and Tam recorded an 8-6 win over UCLA’s Andrew Eklov and Michael Look while Peana and Rouhafza won 8-6 over Michael Beron and Nima Ossareh of San Diego State. They will join the UCR teams of Tadevosian/Kovacevic and Calienes/Contreras, who had a first round bye.

Thursday’s play will feature Calienes in the main draw, alongside automatic qualifiers Contreras, Cartledge, and Tam. The day will begin with UCR’s four doubles teams competing in second round action starting at 9 a.m.

Highlanders Fall on Day Two of Wilson/ITA Regionals

(Oct. 19, 2006) - Junior Mark Contreras highlighted UC Riverside's play on Thursday, progressing to the second round of the Wilson/ITA Western Regional (South) Tennis Championships hosted by Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA.

Contreras was the only Highlander to survive a grueling first round of matches. Facing Zach Tsai of UC Irvine, Contreras posted an exciting three-set victory, 6-1, 4-6, 7-5. He moved on to face Reyniere Roxas of Loyola Marymount in the second round but could not carry through his momentum, losing 6-3, 7-5.

The other Highlanders did not fair so well. After winning two matches in the qualifying rounds Wednesday, freshman Jon Calienes fell to Kaes Van't Hof of USC, 6-2, 7-5. Elsewhere, sophomore Bobby Tam lost to UCI's Victor Lamm 6-3, 6-2 and junior Joe Cartledge dropped a 6-3, 7-6 match to LMU's Nico Terrien.

In doubles action, all four Highlander teams fell in the second round of the main draw. After wins on Wednesday, Cartledge and Tam lost 8-6 to Gary Sacks and Kaes Van't Hof of USC. Pedraum Rouhafza and Jordan Peana also lost by an 8-6 score, this time to Shimpei Suzuki and Zac Tsai of UC Irvine. Calienes and Contreras dropped an 8-2 decision to Matheiu Dehaine and Jeremy Drean of UCLA while Hakop Tadevosian and Gorjan Kovacevic fell 8-0 to UCI's Victor Lamm and Alex Sundling.

Highlanders Eliminated on Day Three of Wilson/ITA Regionals

(Oct. 20, 2006) - Junior Joe Cartledge reached the second round of the consolation bracket Friday at the Wilson/ITA Western Regional (South) Tennis Championships hosted by Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA.

Cartledge made it out of the first round with an excited three-set victory over UC Santa Barbara’s Anders Dalskov. Cartledge won the first set 6-3, dropped the second 2-6, then outlasted Dalskov 11-9 for the win. He advanced to the second round, where he lost to Arizona State’s Wes Miller 6-4, 6-1.

Earlier in the day, Miller downed sophomore Jordan Peana, 6-3, 6-1. Also in the first round, freshman Jon Calienes fell to Ryo Sekiguchi of the University of San Diego 6-1, 6-1 and sophomore Bobby Tam was defeated, 6-1, 6-4 by Arizona’s Bruno Alcala.

The Highlanders will next compete at the SoCal Intercollegiates November 1-5 in Los Angeles.

Highlanders Compete at Southern California Intercollegiates

(Nov. 1, 2006) - The UC Riverside Highlanders opened play at the Southern California Intercollegiate Tennis Championships at the LA Tennis Center Wednesday.

UCR went 0-3 on the day, as Steve Oechel of UCSD defeated UCR's Jordan Peana, 6-4, 6-0, Robby Dabbs of APU defeated Gorjan Kovacevic 6-3, 6-2, and Andrew Eklov of UCLA defeated Joe Cartledge, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.

"Joe played well, third set came down to some key shots at some key moments that made the difference. It was a lot closer than the score looked," Strother said.

The tournament continues Thursdays with singles play and doubles qualifying. Fifth seeded Mark Contreras will see action, as will Bobby Tam, Jon Calienes and "lucky losers" Kovacevic and Cartledge.

Contreras into Third Round at Southern California Intercollegiates

(Nov. 2, 2006) - The UC Riverside Highlanders continued play at the Southern California Intercollegiate Tennis Championships at the LA Tennis Center Thursday.

Fifth-seeded Mark Contreras advanced the furthest, winning both of his matches on the day. He defeated Thondapu Ramish of UC San Diego to set up an all-Highlander round against Joe Cartledge, who had won 6-4, 6-3 over Nikles Persson of Denver. Contreras won the battle of UCR, 6-2, 6-4 to move on to play #2 seed Matheiu Dehaine of UCLA in the third round Friday morning.

In other singles action, Gorjan Kovacevic fell to Ronald Chow of Azusa Pacific and Bobby Tam was defeated by UCSD's Eric Rubens. Jordan Peana and Jon Calienes were also downed in the first round of the main draw.

On the doubles side, Kovacevic and Peana were toppled by Robby Dabbs and Blake Rowan of APU, 8-1.

The tournament continues Friday.

Highlanders Fall at Southern California Intercollegiates

(Nov. 3, 2006) - The UC Riverside Highlanders completed play at the Southern California Intercollegiate Tennis Championships at the LA Tennis Center Friday.

The only remaining Highlander in the singles bracket, fifth-seeded Mark Contreras faced second seed Mathieu Dehaine of UCLA in the quarterfinals. Contreras battled but was unable to gain the win, falling 6-2, 6-4.

Contreras returned to the court in the afternoon for doubles action, pairing with Jon Calienes. The duo won their opening match against Kazumi Negishi and Brent Molden of UC San Diego, 8-5. In the quarterfinals, they faced Denver’s Timo Kienle and Calle Rosen, who had dispatched UCR’s Gorjan Kovacevic and Jordan Peana 8-5 in the round of 16. The Pioneer team again got the better of the Highlanders, winning 8-5.

In other doubles action in the round of 16, Joe Cartledge and Bobby Tam went the distance but could not overcome Bijan Hejazi and Philip Therp of UC Santa Barbara, losing by the narrowest of margins, 9-8 (8-6).

UCR closes out its fall schedule Nov. 10-12 at the UC Santa Barbara Fall Invitational.

Highlanders Victorious at UCSB Fall Intercollegiates

(Nov. 13, 2006) - The UC Riverside Highlanders posted several wins over the weekend at the UC Santa Barbara Fall Intercollegiates.

In the "B" flight of doubles, Gorjan Kovacevic and Pedraum Rouhafza were declared the winners after a perfect 3-0 weekend. In the "A" flight of singles, Mark Contreras went 2-1 on the weekend while Jon Calienes did the same in the "D" flight.

On Sunday against Loyola Marymount, UCR took six of the eight singles matches and split the four doubles results.

UCR returns to the courts on January 14 against Air Force.

Highlanders Win Season Opener Over Air Force, 7-0

(Jan. 14, 2007) - The UC Riverside Highlanders opened their 2007 dual match season with a 7-0 sweep over Air Force in Poway Sunday. The win marked the second year in a row that the Highlanders have opened the season with a win over the Falcons.

Freshman Jonathan Calienes and Mark Contreras cruised to an 8-2 win at No. 1 doubles over Robby Alexander and Ryan White, setting the tone for the afternoon as UCR swept the doubles matches for the doubles point.

In singles play, the Highlanders took five of the six matches in straight sets. No. 1 Contreras picked up where he left off last season with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Alexander, and sophomore Bobby Tam won 6-2, 6-4 over Brett Rodgers at No. 2.

"On the whole, it was a good match. We played well and it was a great start to the season," Head Coach York Strother said.

UC Riverside 7, Air Force 0

Doubles
Jonathan Calienes/Mark Contreras (UCR) def. Robby Alexander/Ryan White (AF) 8-2
Joe Cartledge/Gorjan Kovacevic (UCR) def. Mike Youn/Brett Rodgers (AF) 8-4
Jordan Peana/Bobby Tam (UCR) def. James Tomlin/Keith Cronican (AF) 8-5

Singles
Mark Contreras (UCR) def. Robby Alexander (AF) 6-3, 6-3
Bobby Tam (UCR) def. Brett Rodgers (AF) 6-2, 6-4
Joe Cartledge (UCR) def. Mike Youn (AF) 6-4, 6-7, 10-8
Jonathan Calienes (UCR) def. Keith Cronican (AF) 6-2, 6-3
Gorjan Kovacevic (UCR) def. Greg Ferry (AF) 6-3, 6-2
Jack Tadevosian (UCR) def. Ryan White (AF) 7-5, 6-1

Highlanders Drop 5-2 Decision to No. 49 SDSU

(Jan. 20, 2007) - The UC Riverside Highlanders fell to 1-1 on the season with a 5-2 loss at No. 49 San Diego State Saturday.

The Highlanders were swept in the doubles matches, but got a pair of wins in singles play as No. 3 Joe Cartledge defeated Anthony Gomez, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 and No. 5 Hakop Tadevosian knocked off Robert Sabo, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1. No. 4 Jon Calienes went three sets, but fell to Archim Cebam, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

The Highlanders will host NAIA power Azusa Pacific on January 27th.

No. 49 SDSU 5, UC Riverside 2

Doubles
Chris Groh/Markus Dickhardt (SDSU) (#9 NCAA) d. Jonathan Calienes/Mark Contreras 8-6
Achim Cebam/ Stephan Timu (SDSU) d. Joe Cartledge/Hakop Tadevosian 8-1
Robert Sabo/Michael Beron (SDSU) d. Peana/Tam 8-5

Singles
Chris Groh (SDSU) (#28 NCAA) d. Mark Contreras 6-0, 7-5
Markus Dickardt (SDSU) d. Bobby Tam 6-2, 6-2
Joe Cartledge (UCR) d. Anthony Gomez 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
Achim Cebam (SDSU) d. Jon Calienes 6-3,3-6,6-3
Hakop Tadevosian (UCR) d. Robert Sabo 2-6,7-5,6-1
Michael Beron (SDSU) d. Jordan Peana 6-4,7-6

Azusa Pacific Beats UCR 5-2

(Jan. 27, 2007) - The UC Riverside Highlanders lost their second straight match, falling to NAIA powerhouse Azusa Pacific 5-2 on Saturday afternoon at the Student Recreation Center Courts. UCR drops to 1-2 on the year.

Freshman Jon Calienes had a fine day, going 2-0. He won his #4 singles match 6-3, 6-4 over Matthijs Bolsius and triumphed with partner senior Mark Contreras at #1 doubles, 8-2 over David Goodman and Ronald Chow.

Junior Joe Cartledge grabbed UCR's other point, coming back in his #3 singles match after dropping the first set 0-6. Cartledge recovered to post a 0-6, 6-2, 6-1 win over Mathias Weber for his third consecutive dual-match victory.

"Joe played really well today to overcome that first set," Head Coach York Strother said. "I also thought that Jon dictated the tempo and was able to carry his success in both singles and doubles. APU plays patient tennis and overall we were not as patient as they were. "

The Highlanders are off until February 10, when they will host UC San Diego in the first of back-to-back home matches.

Azusa Pacific 5, UC Riverside 2

Doubles
Calienes/Contreras (UCR) d. Goodman/Chow (APU) 8-2
Kur/Weber (APU) d. Cartledge/Kovacevic (UCR) 8-1
Dabbs/Bolsius (APU) d. Rouhafze/Tadevosian (UCR) 8-6

Singles
David Goodman (APU) d. Mark Contreras (UCR) 6-4, 6-4
Patrick Kur (APU) d. Bobby Tam (UCR) 6-2, 6-1
Joe Cartledge (UCR) d. Mathias Weber (APU) 0-6, 6-2, 6-1
Jon Calienes (UCR) d. Matthijs Bolsius (APU) 6-3, 6-4
Ronald Chow (APU) d. Gorjan Kovacevic (UCR) 6-3, 7-6
Art Fatkhiev (APU) d. Hakop Tadevosian (UCR) 6-1, 6-2

UCR Outlasts UC San Diego, 4-3

(Feb. 10, 2007) - Freshman Jon Calienes rallied from a set down to win the decisive match as UC Riverside posted a 4-3 victory over visiting UC San Diego Saturday afternoon at the Student Recreation Center Courts. UCR improves to 2-2 on the year.

With the overall score knotted at 3-3, Calienes came back after losing the first set to take the second against Seth Spector at number three singles. The third set was tied at 4-4 but Calienes broke Spector, then served out to clinch the win for UCR, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

UCSD swept the doubles matches, all at 8-5, to take the first point of the day. UCR came back with victories in the first three singles contests with senior Mark Contreras putting the Highlanders up 3-2 with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Bijan Moallemi at number one. UCSD's Blake Meister closed out a 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 win over sophomore Bobby Tam to tie it at 3-3, setting up Calienes' clinching win.

The Highlanders host UC Davis at noon on Sunday.

UC Riverside 4, UC San Diego 3

Doubles
Meister/Rubens (UCSD) d. Calienes/Contreras (UCR) 8-5
Steven Oechel/Spector (UCSD) d. Cartledge/Kovacevic (UCR) 8-5
Kazumi Negishi/Moallemi (UCSD) d. Peana/Tam (UCR) 8-5

Singles
Mark Contreras (UCR) d. Bijan Moallemi (UCSD) 6-3, 6-4
Joe Cartledge (UCR) d. Eric Rubens (UCSD) 6-1, 6-3
Jon Calienes (UCR) d. Seth Spector (UCSD) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
Blake Meister (UCSD) d. Bobby Tam (UCR) 6-4, 2-6, 6-3
Gorjan Kovacevic (UCR) d. Alex Placek (UCSD) 6-2, 7-5
Ramesh Thondapu (UCSD) d. Jordan Peana (UCR) 6-4, 6-4

UCR Wins Second Straight, 6-1 Over UC Davis

(Feb. 11, 2007) - UC Riverside won its second straight match, beating visiting UC Davis 6-1 in a rain-delayed match Sunday afternoon at the Student Recreation Center Courts. UCR improves to 3-2 on the year.

The contest was originally scheduled to commence at 12 noon but was pushed back due to rain, finally getting underway at 3 p.m. with the teams competing the singles portion first. UCR won five out of the six matches, including a pair of three-setters by sophomore Gorjan Kovacevic and junior Joe Cartledge, to clinch the match.

"I thought Joe and Gorjan both finished strong to come back and win after dropping the second set," Head Coach York Strother said. "The entire team showed fire, resiliency, and the ability to adapt to the conditions on a taxing day."

Strother also identified the play of senior Mark Contreras, who recorded a 6-2, 6-2 victory at number on singles over Michael Chin, a player who had defeated Contreras last season. "Mark played smart today. I was glad to see him get the victory."

Contreras was also key to an historic doubles win, teaming with freshman Jon Calienes at number one doubles to defeat the 44th-ranked duo of Jayce Fitch and Daniel Elefant 8-5. It was the Highlanders' first-ever victory over a nationally-ranked doubles team and one of two doubles victories for UCR on the day as they took the final point.

"There was no drop off in our doubles effort after already winning the match with our singles play," Strother said.

The Highlanders travel to 48th-ranked University of San Diego on Friday before opening Big West Conference play against the University of the Pacific at home next Sunday at noon.

UC Riverside 6, UC Davis 1

Doubles
Calienes/Contreras (UCR) d. #44 Fitch/Elefant (UCD) 8-5
Chin/Justin Garcia (UCD) d. Cartledge/Kovacevic (UCR) 8-5
Peana/Tam (UCR) d. Liang/Thomas McGee (UCD) 8-5

Singles
Mark Contreras (UCR) d. Michael Chin (UCD) 6-2, 6-2
Joe Cartledge (UCR) d. Jayce Fitch (UCD) 6-1, 3-6, 6-4
Jon Calienes (UCR) d. Henri Landes (UCD) 6-2, 6-2
Bobby Tam (UCR) d. Daniel Elefant (UCD) 6-0, 6-2
Gorjan Kovacevic (UCR) d. Michael Reiser (UCD) 6-1, 4-6, 6-2
Ramesh Thondapu (UCD) d. Jordan Peana (UCR) 6-4, 6-2

UCR's Mark Contreras Named Big West Co-Athlete of the Week

(Feb. 14, 2007) -Senior tennis player Mark Contreras was named Big West Co-Athlete of the Week by the conference office Wednesday.

Playing at No. 1, Contreras went 2-0 on the week in singles play, defeating Bijan Moellemi of UCSD 6-3, 6-4 on Feb. 10, then knocking off Mike Chin of UC Davis, 6-2, 6-2 on Feb. 11. In doubles play, he combined with Jon Calienes to knock off the No. 44 ranked team in the nation, Daniel Elefant and Jayce Fitch of UC Davis, 8-5 on Feb. 11.

Contreras is now 9-8 in singles play this season and 8-5 in doubles.

The Highlanders are next in action at the University of San Diego on Feb 16th.

UCR Falls to No. 47 USD, 6-1

(Feb. 16, 2007) -The UC Riverside Highlanders lost a 6-1 decision to the host No. 47 ranked University of San Diego Toreros in San Diego Friday. UCR is now 3-3.

UCR's Mark Contreras and Jon Calienes continuted their success in doubles play with a 8-2 win over Thomas Liversage and Chris Coetzee, but the Toreros took No. 2 and No. 3 doubles to take the point.

In singles play, No. 5 Jack Tadevosian earned the Highlanders' their point with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win over Matt Ozurovich.

"We played decent tennis and it was a hard fought match. We had a missed shot here and there, but with a team of this caliber, they make you pay," UCR Head Coach York Strother said.

USD 6, UC Riverside 1

Doubles
1. Contreras/Calienes (UCR) def. Liversage/Coetzee (USD) 8-2
2. Mouly/Wolmarans (USD) def. Cartledge/ Kovacevic (UCR) 9-8 (7-5) tiebreaker
3. Ozurovich/Brown (USD) def. Tam/Peana (UCR) 8-2

Singles
1. Jonas Mouly (USD) def. Mark Contreras (UCR) 4-6, 6-0, 6-1
2. Thomas Liversage (USD) def. Joe Cartledge (UCR) 6-2, 6-4
3. Chris Coetzee (USD) def. Jonathan Calienes (UCR) 6-0, 6-2
4. Ryo Sekiguchi (USD) def. Bobby Tam (UCR) 6-2, 7-5
5. Charl Wolmruns (USD) def.Gorjan Kovacevic (UCR) 6-5, 6-4
6. Jack Tadevosian (UCR) def. Matt Ozurovich (USD) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4

UCR Wins Conference Opener, 6-1 Over UOP

(Feb. 18, 2007) - UC Riverside recorded its first-ever victory over University of the Pacific, 6-1, in the teams' Big West Conference opener Sunday afternoon at the Student Recreation Center Courts. UCR improves to 4-3 on the year while the Tigers fall to 0-2.

Playing without senior Mark Contreras, who missed the match due to illness, the Highlanders got a solid team effort as the rest of the team stepped up in his absence. UCR took two of the three doubles matches for the first point of the day, then swept five of the six singles matches.

Sophomores Jordan Peana and Bobby Tam were particularly successful, moving from #3 to #2 doubles for an 8-5 win over Alan Kelly and Robert Price. Tam also recorded a straight-sets win over Kelly at #3 singles, 6-2, 7-6, while Peana registered a 7-6, 6-1 win at #6 over Chase Oliphant.

"We had never beaten Pacific before and to do it without our top singles player and doubles team shows the focus that the whole team had," Head Coach York Strother said. "Jordan was outstanding to win his tie-break and then close out the match."

The Highlanders continue their eight-match home streak on Saturday with their Pro-Am/Calcutta at 9 a.m.

UC Riverside 6, Pacific 1

Doubles
Calienes/Cartledge (UCR) d. Starke/Zdravkovic (UOP) 8-6
Peana/Tam (UCR) d. Kelly/Price (UOP) 8-5
Veskimagi/Ebrahim (UOP) d. Kovacevic/Tadevosian (UCR) 9-7

Singles
Moritz Starke (UOP) d. Joe Cartledge (UCR) 6-3, 6-3
Jon Calienes (UCR) d. Vegerd Veskimagi (UOP) 6-0, 7-6
Bobby Tam (UCR) d. Alan Kelly (UOP) 6-2, 7-6
Gorjan Kovacevic (UCR) d. Austin Kakar (UOP) 6-4, 6-1
Hakop Tadevosian (UOP) d. Ahad Ebrahim (UOP) 6-0, 6-3
Jordan Peana (UCR) d. Chase Oliphant (UOP) 7-6, 6-1

Calienes Named Big West Athlete of the Week

(Feb. 21, 2007) - UC Riverside freshman Jon Calienes was named the Big West Conference’s Men’s Tennis Athlete of the Week for February 12-18, the conference office announced Wednesday. Calienes went 1-1 in singles and 2-0 in doubles to win his first career Athlete of the Week award.

Calienes (Chino, CA/Ayala HS) opened the week by teaming with senior Mark Contreras for an 8-2 doubles win over Thomas Liversage and Chris Coetzee of the University of San Diego on Friday. It was his play on Sunday that stood out, as he went a perfect 2-0 on the day to help the Highlanders to their first-ever victory over 75th-ranked University of the Pacific, 6-1. With Contreras out sick, Calienes partnered for the first time at #1 doubles with junior Joe Cartledge and won 8-6. Calienes then moved up from his normal #3 singles spot to play at #2, where he defeated Vegerd Veskimagi 6-0, 7-6.

Calienes carries an 11-7 overall singles record and is 11-6 in doubles play. He is the second consecutive Highlander to win the men’s tennis Athlete of the Week award, following Contreras last week.

UCR (4-3 overall, 1-0 Big West) opens a six-match home stand this Saturday, February 24, against Loyola Marymount.

UCR Comes From Behind to Beat LMU, 4-3

(Feb. 27, 2007) - The UC Riverside Highlanders men's tennis team got off to a slow start, but had a big finish to post a come-from behind 4-3 win over the Loyola Marymount Lions at the Student Recreation Center Tennis courts Tuesday.

UCR improved to 5-3 on the season. LMU is now 2-7.

The Highlanders got a doubles win from the No. 1 team of Jon Calienes and Mark Contreras, 9-8, but lost at No. 2 and No. 3 as LMU earned the point. In singles play, UCR then dropped the first four singles sets and No. 4 Bobby Tam quickly fell 6-1, 6-1.

"We were down 2-0 and behind in a bunch of first sets," Head Coach York Strother said. "But we had an outstanding team effort to come back."

Calienes won at No. 3 singles to reclaim a point, and Gorjan Kovacebic rallied for a 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 win. The Lions' Matt Phillips defeated Hakop Tadevosian at No. 6 singles, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 to take a 3-2 lead, but Contreras rallied to a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 win to tie it at 3-3. That left the entire match hinging on the No. two singles match between UCR's Joe Cartledge and LMU's Nikola Petroff. Cartledge had lost the opener, 2-6, but like his teammates, bounced back for a pair of 6-4, 6-4 wins to give UCR the match.

"Joe was the deciding point and he really put in a great effort," Strother said. "This was a big win, as LMU had just come off a win over UCI, and it helps us keep our home winning streak going."

UC Riverside 4, LMU 3

Doubles
Calienes/Contreras (UCR) d. Terrien/Twarowski (LMU) 9-8
Perez/Phillips(LMU) 8-5 Cartledge/ Peana (UCR) 8-4
Tadavosian/Maggi (LMU) d. Kovacevic/Tam (UCR) 8-4

Singles
Mark Contreras (UCR) d. Nicolas Terrien (LMU) 2-6, 6-1, 6-2.
Joe Cartledge (UCR)d. Nikola Petrov (LMU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
Jon Calienes (UCR) d. Jacek Twarowksi (UOP) 6-4, 7-5
Sam Tadevosian (LMU) d. Bobby Tam (UCR) 6-1, 6-1
Gorjan Kovacevic (UCR) d. Reyniere Roxas(LMU) 4-6, 6-1, 6-1
Matt Phillips (LMU) def. Hakop Tadevosian (UCR) 5-7, 6-3, 6-2

UCR Keeps Winning Ways With 4-3 Victory Over Vanguard

(Mar. 3, 2007) - The UC Riverside Highlanders improved to 6-3 on the season with a hard-fought 4-3 win over Vanguard University in a non-conference match at the Student Recreation Center Tennis Courts in Riverside Friday.

Vanguard is now 6-1.

"Vanguard was undeafeated coming into play today, so it is a good win for us," Head Coach York Strother said. "We didn't play well, but we competed fiercely and were able to pull it out. I was happy wiith the effort.

UCR won the doubles point, then split the singles matches to take the match. The decider was No. 5 Gorjan Kovacevic's 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 win over WIlliam Storm that gave UCR the match.

The Highlanders return to action against Villanova on March 7, 2007.

UC Riverside 4, Vanguard 3

Doubles
Stocker/Weilmaier (V) d. Calienes/Contreras (UCR) 8-2
Cartledge/ Peana (UCR) d. Lemke/Chavalier (V) 8-5
Kovacevic/Tam (UCR) d. Storm/Gillion (V) 8-3

Singles
Mark Contreras (UCR) d. Dominique Stockler (V) 6-3, 6-3
Florian Lemke (V) d. Joe Cartledge (UCR) 6-7, 7-6, 6-0
Dider Weis (V) d. Jon Calienes (UCR) 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
Greg Chavalier (V) d. Bobby Tam (UCR) 3-6, 6-2, 6-0
Gorjan Kovacevic (UCR) d. William Storm (V) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
Hakop Tadevosian (UCR) d. Vasieios Psyrras (V) 7-5, 6-4

UCR Sweeps Villanova 7-0

(Mar. 7, 2007) - The UC Riverside Highlanders won their fourth straight match, sweeping visting Villanova University 7-0 in a non-conference match at the Student Recreation Center Tennis Courts in Riverside Wednesday. The Highlanders improve to 7-3 while the Wildcats fall to 0-6.

"Today was a good match. We got off to a good start, and for the most part, kept the pressure on," Head Coach York Strother said. "We were dictating the tempo the whole day, making them react to what we were doing."

UCR opened the day by sweeping the doubles matches and then took contol in the singles. The Highlanders dropped only one set on the afternoon but Bobby Tam was able to battle back at #3 singles for a 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over Scott Faherndorf.

"I was very pleased with Bobby Tam. His opponent had total control of this match, and Bobby found a way out of it. It was an excellent job." Strother added.

The Highlanders continue their seven-match home stand on Friday at 2 p.m. against Cal Baptist.

UC Riverside 7, Villanova 0

Doubles
Cartledge/Contreras (UCR) d. Chimerakis/Daly (VU) 8-3
Peana/Tam (UCR) d. Farmer/Leeser (VU) 8-6
Kovacevic/Tadevosian (UCR) d. Krawzcsyk/Maher (VU) 8-4

Singles
Mark Contreras (UCR) d. Sean Daly (VU) 6-1, 6-3
Joe Cartledge (UCR) d. Brian Maher (VU) 6-4, 6-2
Bobby Tam (UCR) d. Scott Faherndorf 1-6, 6-4, 6-3
Gorjan Kovacevic (UCR) d. Dimitri Chimerakis (VU) 6-4, 6-2
Hakop Tadevosian (UCR) d. Brett Tobin (VU) 6-2, 6-0
Jordan Peana (UCR) d. Alex Leeser (VU) 6-1, 6-1

UCR Holds Off Cal Baptist, 4-3

(Mar. 9, 2007) - The UC Riverside Highlanders took their fifth consecutive win Friday, posting a hard-fought 4-3 win over Cal Baptist University at the Student Recreation Center Tennis Courts in Riverside . The Highlanders improve to 8-3.

"Today was a struggle. We came out slow, and really struggled finding a rhythm," Head Coach York Strother said. "CBU did everything they could to keep that way. They made it really hard for us."

UCR opened on a strong note, winning the doubles point behind the number one team of Joe Cartledge and Mark Contreras and the No. 3 team of Pedraum Rouhafza and Hakop Tadevosian, who posted an 8-0 win. In singles play, it was Tadevosian and Jordan Peana at Numbers five and six, respectively, who posted clutch wins. Tadevosian had a 6-1, 6-1 win over Travis Aballi at five, while Beana had a 6-0, 6-2 win at six. Combined with Cartledge's 6-0, 6-2 win at number two, the Highlanders took the match. A pair of singles matches went to the super tiebreaker, with CBU winning both.

"This match was all about our lower ladder, number three doubles, and numbers five and six singles," Strother said. "They absolutely stepped up, when the team needed it, and took care of business. People always like to talk about the stars at the top of the ladder. This match was determined by team depth. Today, the "no-names" were the stars."

UC Riverside 4, Cal Baptist 3

Doubles
1. Cartledge/Contreras (UCR) d. Eisikovits/Miljons (CBU), 8-5
2. Polezhaev/Ventre (CBU) d. Peana/Tam (UCR), 8-6
3. Rouhafza/Tadevosian (UCR) d. Aballi/Gerbrands (CBU), 8-0

Singles
1. Alexandro Ventre (CBU) d. Mark Contreras (UCR), 7-5, 4-6, (10-8)
2. Joe Cartledge (UCR) d. Karlis Miljons (CBU),6-0, 6-2
3. Moti Eisikovits (CBU) d. Bobby Tam (UCR), 6-2, 6-2
4. Vitaly Polezhaev (CBU) d. Gorjan Kovacevic (UCR), 4-6, 6-1, (14-12)
5. Hakop Tadevosian (UCR) d. Travis Aballi (CBU),6-1, 6-1
6. Jordan Peana (UCR) d. Johnny Melendez (CBU),6-0, 6-2

UCR Defeats Gonzaga, 5-2

(Mar. 13, 2007) - The UC Riverside Highlanders men's tennis team improved to 9-3 on the season with a 5-2 win over Gonzaga at the Student Recreation Center Tennis Courts in Riverside Tuesday.

The Highlanders won the doubles point, then took four of six singles matches to cruise to the win.

Senior Mark Contreras had a nice day, teaming with Joe Cartledge to win their No. 1 doubles match over Zack Radetzky and Brett Womack, 8-3, then cruising in his singles match, 6-1, 6-2 over Bryce Cooper. Other highlights included Gorjan Kovacevic moving up to No. 3 for the first time this season and posting a 6-4, 6-4 win over Womack.

"I liked how Mark took care of business today, and was impressed with Gorjan, who moved up to No. 3 and continued his winning ways," Head Coach York Strother said.

UC Riverside 5, Gonzaga 2

Doubles
1. Cartledge/Contreras (UCR) d. Radetzky/Womack (G), 8-3
2. Peana/Tam (UCR) d. Adams/Pineda (G), 8-6
3. Cooper/Dojcak (G) d. Rouhafza/Tadevosian (UCR,) 8-5

Singles
1. Mark Contreras (UCR) d. Bryce Cooper (G), 6-1, 6-2
2. Roman Dojcak (G) d. Joe Cartledge (UCR), 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
3. Gorjan Kovacevic (UCR) d. Brett Womack (G), 6-4, 6-4
4. Marcon Antonio Pineda (G) d. Bobby Tam (UCR), 6-4, 7-6
5. Hakop Tadevosian (UCR) d. Cooper Fratt (G) 7-5, 6-1
6. Jordan Peana (UCR) d. Zack Radetzky (G), 6-1, 7-5

UCR Loses 5-2 Match to Utah

(Mar. 17, 2007) - The visiting No. 63 Utah Utes posted a 5-2 win over the host UC Riverside Highlanders in a non-conference tennis match at the Student Recreation Center Tennis Courts in Riverside Saturday.

Utah swept the doubles point, though the Highlanders came close at No. 2 as Bobby Tam and Jordan Peana fell 8-6 to Othman Zerouali-Ouariti and Jason Smits.

In singles play, UCR's Bobby Tam posted a 6-4, 4-6, (10-8) win at the No. 4 spot over Zerouali-Ouariti and Hakop Tadevosian came from behind to defeat Smits, 3-6, 6-2 (10-6) at No. 5 singles.

UCR is now 9-4 on the season.

#63 Utah 5, UC Riverside 2
Doubles:
1. #43 Zach Ganger/Miron Mann (Utah) def. Mark Conteras/Joe Cartledge (UCR); 8-3
2. Othman Zerouali-Ouariti/Jason Smits (Utah) def. Bobby Tam/Jordan Peana (UCR); 8-6
3. Wes Hancock/Timmy Allin (Utah) def. Pedraum Rouhafza/Hakop Tadevosian (UCR); 8-3

Singles:
1. #55 Zach Ganger (Utah) def. Mark Contreras (UCR); 6-2, 6-2
2. Miron Mann (Utah) def. Joe Cartledge (UCR); 6-3, 6-2
3. Wes Hancock (Utah) def. Gorjan Kovacevic (UCR); 7-5, 6-2
4. Bobby Tam (UCR) def. Othman Zerouali-Ouariti (Utah); 6-4, 4-6 (10-8)
5. Hakop Tadevosian (UCR) def. Jason Smits (Utah); 3-6, 6-2 (10-6)
6. Timmy Allin (Utah) def. Jordan Peana (UCR); 6-2, 6-3

Panthers Pounce on Highlanders, 7-0

(Mar. 26, 2007) - The UC Riverside Highlanders started their Spring Break East Coast road trip with a 7-0 loss at #57 Georgia State Monday afternoon at the Bitsy Grant Tennis Center in Atlanta, GA. It was the second straight loss to a ranked opponent for the Highlanders as they fall to 9-5 on the season.

The bright spot of the day came at #1 doubles, where senior Mark Contreras and junior Joe Cartledge improved to 4-1 with an 8-4 victory over Martin Stiegwardt and Mattias Skold. The Highlanders almost stole the doubles point but sophomores Jordan Peana and Bobby Tam could not get past GSU’s Anze Cevka and Nejc Podkrajsek, 9-7.

In singles play, UCR showed determined fight to battle back against the strong Panthers. After dropping the first set, Peana took the second to a tie-break at #6 against Daniel Balog, eventually succumbing 6-1, 7-6. Contreras and sophomore Gorjan Kovacevic also came close at #1 and #3 singles but each lost by identical 6-4, 6-4 scores.

"Georgia State is without a doubt the best team we have faced so far," Head Coach York Strother said. "That being said, I was tremendously pleased with the fight our team showed. They kept their composure and did not give up after falling behind. The purpose of this trip is to challenge our players and get them ready for the start of conference play and we certainly did that today."

The Highlanders continue their four-match trip tomorrow at #30 Clemson.

#57 Georgia State 7, UC Riverside 0
Doubles
Cartledge/Contreras (UCR) d. Stiegwardt/Skold (GSU) 8-4
Cevka/Podkrajsek (GSU) d. Peana/Tam (UCR) 9-7
Arango/Alvarado (GSU) d. Kovacevic/Rouhafza (UCR) 8-3

Singles
Martin Stiegwardt (GSU)