INDIAN WELLS, Calif. --- UC Irvine men's tennis avenged its lone conference loss by dropping Cal Poly, 4-1, Friday evening at Indian Wells Tennis Garden in the Big West Tournament semifinal.

UCI (20-12, 4-1) scored a quick point with two doubles wins and gain the 1-0 lead.

Cal Poly (15-10, 3-2) began to mount its comeback winning four of the opening singles sets including at No. 6 singles that Axel Damiens would earn the sweep on and tie the match, 1-1.

Sebastian Heim got the lead back for the 'Eaters and spark the rally as Tyler Pham, Nico Mertens, and Shuhei Shibahara all forced a third set.

Following a Jonathan Hammel, straight-set win, Shibahara would complete his comeback and clinch the match with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 4 singles and send the Anteaters to the final.

UCI will draw UC Santa Barbara in Sunday's final, the eighth appearance for the program, which begins at 9:00 a.m. at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

(1) UC IRVINE 4, (4) CAL POLY
UCI (20-12, 4-1) | CP (15-10, 3-2)

April 24, 2015
Indian Wells Tennis Garden

Doubles
1 Agbayani/Poon (UCI) vs. Donovan/Pang (CP) – 5-3 (unf.)
2 Hammel/Pham (UCI) def. Auproux/Barber (CP) – 6-3
3 Heim/Hernandez (UCI) def. Damiens/Lesoeur (CP) – 6-1
UC Irvine wins the doubles point

Singles
1 Sebastian Heim (UCI) def. Ben Donovan (CP) – 6-0, 6-1
2 Tyler Pham (UCI) vs. Garrett Auproux (CP) – 6-7 (6), 6-4, 1-3 (unf.)
3 Nico Mertens (UCI) vs. Corey Pang (CP) – 2-6, 6-3, 4-2 (unf.)
4 Shuhei Shibahara (UCI) def. Naveen Beasley (CP) – 1-6, 6-3, 6-2
5 Jonathan Hammel (UCI) def. Lucas Lesoeur (CP) – 6-2, 7-6 (4)
6 Axel Damiens (CP) def. Jonathan Poon (UCI) – 6-1, 6-1
Order of finish: Doubles – 3, 2 | Singles – 6, 1, 5, 4

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