On March 24, the Bakersfield College Men’s Tennis team took on Ventura College in the 2026 Western State Conference Championship.

BC started strong in doubles. Orlando Vankan and Mateusz Lipczynski won their set 7-4 after a tight battle until suddenly late in the game they pulled away for the win. Axl Lajon M. Gonzaga and Shang En Kao also picked up a big win in the same way, turning a close match into an 8-3 victory. The third doubles team unfortunately struggled early and was unable to recover.

Singles play followed, and it was more competitive than ever, with both teams fighting for the title. With Bakersfield needing just 3 more wins to secure the championship, the first match ended in a loss.

Lipczynski responded with a dominant performance, winning his first set 6-0 and maintaining that momentum going on to win his match. Vankan’s match was tougher, as he lost a close first set and fell behind in the second ultimately resulting in a loss.

Gonzaga, known for his energy on the court, played well, winning his first set 6-2 then battled through a tense and frustrating second set to pull out the 6-5 win, throwing his shoes off in

celebration.

Kao had one of the toughest matches, showing signs of fatigue from his long doubles match, he lost his first set 5-7, but bounced back in the second, with a 6-4 win to force a third set. At this point, the only other game on the court unfortunately ended in a loss tying the overall score at 4-4 making this match the decider. With encouragement from his teammates and spectators, Kao took a 4-1 lead as his opponent lost his momentum. He closed out the match with a 6-1 win sparking cheers from the crowd.

The Bakersfield College Men’s Tennis team secured the 5-4 victory to become the 2026 Western State Conference champions.