The Riverside City College men’s tennis team fell to Irvine Valley College in the Southern California Regional Championship after a slow start on Friday.
The match opened with doubles play, during which RCC struggled to find its rhythm. Irvine Valley swept all three doubles matches, giving them a 3-0 lead heading into the singles competition. With the pressure mounting, RCC knew the margin for error was slim.
Despite a difficult start and an early 0-3 deficit, the Tigers showed resilience and heart in what became a competitive and emotional end to a strong season.
The Tigers’ misfortune carried into their singles matches, Irvine Valley quickly extended their lead to 4-0, placing the Tigers on the brink of elimination. However, freshman Augustin Daubanny would bring hope to the team, as he won his match 2-1. Even after struggling the entire game, he put RCC on the board.
“Even being down 0-4, we all knew we had a chance of winning singles,” said sophomore Michael Chang. “We all had the capability of winning singles.”
Freshman Charalampos Plataniotis dominated his match, winning 2-0, closing the gap to 4-2 and keeping RCC’s hopes alive. With momentum beginning to shift, all eyes turned to Chang, who battled Irvine Valley’s Nick Grove in the deciding match.
After splitting the first two sets, the final set became a nail-biter. Michael would unfortunately lose the last set 4-6, ending the hopes of a comeback. “We didn’t convert in doubles,” said head coach Evan Parry.” “We had opportunities, and we let them slip away. But the guys kept their heads up and kept fighting.”
This loss marks the final match for captains Michael Chang and Lance Lao. Both players have had decorated careers with the Tigers, earning Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-American honors and All-Conference selections while at the RCC.
“I enjoyed playing with Michael; we traveled a lot as a team and as doubles partners,” said Lao. “It was a lot of fun. I won’t ever forget that.”
This was Coach Parry’s sixth season leading the RCC men’s tennis program. Under his leadership, the team has become a consistent contender in the region.
This year marks the second time in three seasons that the Tigers have reached the SoCal Regional Championship match.
The Tigers’ season is not over yet. They will travel to the Ojai Tennis Tournament on April 24.
