INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – The fourth-seeded UC Irvine men's tennis team saw its Big West Tournament run come to an end in the semifinals with a 4-0 loss to No. 1 seed UC Santa Barbara Friday aftenonn at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

The 'Eaters dropped a hard-fought doubles point to start the match. Luis Lopez and Daniel Gealer came up short against Joseph Gullin/Victor Krustev, 6-2, at the No. 3 position. The Gauchos then clinched at the top of the lineup where Vatsal Bajpai and Bruce Man-Son-Hing fell to Nicolas Moreno Alboran/Anders Holm, 6-3.

Court two was in a tight battle when the point was decided as Luca Marquard and Mason Hansen were deadlocked at 4-4 with Simon Freund/Joseph Rotheram.

"We battled to the finish," said head coach Mike Saunders. "It might have been a different story with Sebastian (Heim) healthy but it was not meant to be."

Marquard held a 7-6 (7-9) lead over Gullin at No. 2 and Lopez was in a battle with 78^th-ranked Alboran, trailing, 6-3, 5-4, when the match was called.

Hansen was up in the second set, 5-4, against Hironori Koyanagi after dropping the first set, 6-4.

UCSB clinched the match after Freund defeated UCI's Sasha Krasnov, 6-3, 6-3, at the No. 3 position. The 'Eaters also fell on courts four and six.

"I was especially proud of how Luca closed out his career, up a set against their number two who went undefeated in the Big West," added Saunders.  "Despite being sidelined all season, Sebastian was there every practice and match supporting his teammates and coaches. It won't be the same without those two around. Their time here went fast and they will be missed. All things considered, we achieved success; we became better tennis players and competitors and grew as a team."

The Gauchos (17-6) advance to Sunday's championship against second-seeded Cal Poly.

"Thanks to Tyler (Pham) and Bruce (Man-Son-Hing), our assistant coaches, who were so dedicated. Their commitment made all the difference," added Saunders.

UC Irvine made its fourth-straight appearance in the Big West semifinals and ends the season with a 16-12 overall record.