Riverside (3-0) swept past visiting SBCC 8-1 in men's tennis on Thursday, spoiling the Vaqueros' season opener.
Spencer Ekola, a freshman from Santa Barbara High, got the only Santa Barbara point by kocking off Sami Akouz 6-2, 6-3 at No. 2 singles.
"Spencer played great in his first college match," said coach Randy Moharram. "He was aggressive and his forehand was excellent."
Emerson Sekban, the Vaqueros' No. 1 player and a sophomore from England, dropped a tough three-setter to James Andra, 7-6 (5), 0-6 and 10-5 in a pro tiebreaker.
The Vaqueros took second in the WSC last year with a 6-2 record. They open conference play on Tuesday at L.A. Pierce, starting at 2 p.m.
Singles
1. James Andra, RCC, def. Emerson Sekban 7-6 (5), 0-6, (10-5 tiebreaker)
2. Spencer Ekola, SBCC, def. Sami Akouz, RCC, 6-2, 6-3
3. Thierry van Os, RCC, def. Stevie Acuna 6-0, 6-0
4. Grady Harrell, RCC, def. Adolfo Ortega Grunauer 6-2, 6-3
5. Ryan Cala, RCC, def. Dim Dros 6-1, 6-0
6. Trent Harris, RCC, def. Jun Zhao 6-2, 6-2
Doubles
1. Akouz/Van Os, RCC, def. Sekban/Ekola, SBCC, 8-6
2. Harrell/Moerer, RCC, def. Dros/Zhao 8-3
3. Andra/Harris, RCC, def. Ortega/Acuna 8-3
