No. 6 Lewis vs No. 7 UC Irvine
Date: Friday, Jan. 5
Time: 3:30 p.m. PT
Location: Smith Fieldhouse - Provo, Utah
Watch // Live Stats
 
No. 13 Loyola-Chicago vs No. 7 UC Irvine
Date: Saturday, Jan. 6
Time: 3:30 p.m. PT
Location: Smith Fieldhouse - Provo, Utah
Watch // Live Stats
 
UC Irvine opens 2018 action in Provo, Utah playing MIVA powerhouses Lewis and Loyola-Chicago at Smith Fieldhouse.
 
The seventh-ranked Anteaters will battle No. 6 Lewis Friday (Jan. 5) then face No. 13 Loyola-Chicago on Saturday (Jan. 6). Both matches begin at 3:30 p.m. PT.

Both matches will be streamed live at byucougars.com.
 
VERSUS THE OPPONENTS
UC Irvine holds a 3-1 series record against Lewis, taking a 3-2 decision at the 2016 Asics Invitational in the last meeting.
 
The Flyers are coming off of a 23-7 season.
 
Loyola holds a 6-3 advantage in the series, winning the last three meetings. The teams have met twice in the NCAA semifinals with the Anteaters taking the contest in 2013 and the Ramblers winning in 2015. The last time the teams met the Ramblers took a five-set victory at BYU in 2016.
 
LUC was 16-12 overall in 2017.
 
NEWS AND NOTES
While some teams find it difficult to play at Smith Fieldhouse, UCI has been successful. Since 2007, BYU has only lost 20 times at home, five times to the Anteaters.
 
UC Irvine is picked No. 7 in the AVCA Preseason Poll and third in the Big West Coaches' Preseason poll.
 
The Anteaters will begin its first season as a member of the Big West Conference, joining CSUN, Hawaii, Long Beach State, UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara. The inaugural season will kick off on Feb. 23 at Hawaii.
 
UC Irvine went 20-7 last season.
 
A LOOK AT THE SEASON AHEAD
2018 holds a world of possibilities for UC Irvine.
 
"This team has a group of young, untested talent and I'm excited to see what they can do," sixth year head coach David Kniffin said. "We have strong anchors in the middle and opposite and we'll wait to see who else steps up at the other positions."
 
UC Irvine graduated four All-Americans so there are plenty of opportunities for talented players to step up and fill roles this year.
 
The one position the Anteaters return a solid crew is at middle blocker. Scott Stadick and Matthew Younggren held down the middle last season with Ben Sebastian and Sean Dennis providing depth.
 
Stadick returns after being honored as an All-American and MPSF Freshman of the Year in 2017. The sophomore ranked fifth in the country in blocks with a 1.19 average and sixth in hitting percentage at .421. He set a UCI single season record for solo blocks in the rally-scoring era with 25. He is the team's returning leader in kills with a 1.88 average.
 
Younggren averaged 1.10 kills with a .382 hitting percentage. He also posted a 0.72 blocking mark.
 
Senior Aaron Koubi was a star at the end of last season, averaging 3.05 kills and 1.31 digs in just 55 sets. He recorded kills in double-figures nine times, including the six of the last seven outings. With Koubi in the starting lineup, UCI ended the year winning 11 of the last 13 matches.
 
With the departure of mainstays at setter, libero and at the pins opportunities abound.
 
Following Koubi and Stadick, opposite Karl Apfelbach averaged 1.57 kills in 44 sets, while Reid Dominguez averaged 0.77 kills in 48 sets a year ago. Grant Friedman played in 15 sets and has been used as a serving specialist.
 
At setter, juniors Dante Chakrovorti and Logan Zotovich along with newcomer Sean Farmer will battle for playing time.
 
David Parker and Tucker Pikula are multi-dimensional players that can hit from the outside and solidify the defense at libero.
 
Newcomers to keep an eye out for are freshman Joel Schnidemiller and junior JB Kam.
 
"Joel was the leading point scorer with the U.S. Youth team and is used to taking big swings and can play through the result," Kniffin added. "JB is an athletic player with a Hawaiian style and will get better as the season goes on.