Boston College (4-5) at
UC Irvine (4-3)
Date: Monday, March 4
Time: 1 p.m. (PST)
Location: Anteater Tennis Stadium - Irvine, Calif.

Villanova (8-2) at
UC Irvine (4-3)
Date: Tuesday, March 5
Time: 10 a.m. (PST)
Location: Anteater Tennis Stadium - Irvine, Calif.

Weber State (4-7) at
UC Irvine (4-3)
Date: Tuesday, March 5
Time: TBA
Location: Anteater Tennis Stadium - Irvine, Calif.

Notes (PDF)

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine lifted its record over .500 with a win over Pacific last Friday. Up next, the Anteaters host Boston College (4-5) at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, followed by red-hot Villanova (8-2) at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday. The 'Eaters will also face Weber State in a match that was rescheduled from Feb. 16, on Tuesday, start time to be announced.
 
STORYLINES
• Sophomore Mateusz Smolicki is on a three-match win streak, and leads the team with four victories in singles.
• Smolicki defeated Pacific's Tadiwa Chinamo 7-6, 6-4 to put the Anteaters on top in an eventual 4-2 win.
• He also clinched a 4-2 victory over Idaho State by upending Fynn Lohse, 7-5, 0-6, 7-6 (8).
• Senior Sasha Krasnov got off to a hot start, winning his first three singles matches of the year.
• Freshman Aaron Bailey and senior Mason Hansen have also picked up three dual-match wins each.
• Senior Luis Lopez and junior Bruce Man-Son-Hing remain undefeated in doubles with a 4-0 record at No. 3.
• UC Irvine has seven returning letterwinners from a 2017-18 squad that finished with a 16-12 record.
• The 'Eaters made their fourth-straight appearance in the Big West semifinals last year.
• Lopez earned first-team All-Big West accolades in singles with a 15-8 record, playing primarily at No. 1.
• Lopez and junior Daniel Gealer also received an All-Big West Honorable Mention nod in doubles.
• Krasnov garnered 2018 All-Big West Honorable Mention recognition in singles.
• Senior Vatsal Bajpai and Man-Son-Hing took home first-team All-Big West doubles honors.
• Hansen earned his second-straight All-Big West award in doubles, playing alongside recent grad Luca Marquard.
• UCI was a 2017-18 ITA All-Academic Team with six players earning individual Scholar-Athlete honors.
 
LAST TIME OUT
In their matchup with the Pacific Tigers last Friday, UC Irvine started strong out of the gate by sweeping doubles to take the lead. Senior Luis Lopez and junior Bruce Man-Son-Hing remained undefeated in doubles play, topping Philip Hjorth and Josef Southcombe, 6-2. The tandems of Vatsal Bajpai/Mateusz Smolicki and Mason Hansen/Daniel Gealer also won 6-4 at No. 1 and 6-3 at No. 2, respectively. In singles, freshman Aaron Bailey defeated Southcombe in straight sets 6-1, 6-4, at the bottom of the lineup. Pacific would then rally to win singles matches at the No. 1 and 2 positions, tying the match at 2-2. Sophomore Mateusz Smolicki then took control for the Anteaters, dispatching Tadiwa Chinamo at No. 3, 7-6, 6-4. UC Irvine eventually clinched the match at the No. 5 position, as Daniel Gealer took down Jonathan Lieu in straight sets 7-5, 6-2.
 
DOUBLES TEAMS FINDING THEIR WAY
After switching up pairings early on in the young season, the Anteaters seem to have found their rhythm in doubles action. Senior Vatsal Bajpai and sophomore Matuesz Smolicki have been strong, setting the tone for UC Irvine, with a 3-1 record from the top of the lineup. At the No. 3 position, senior Luis Lopez has gotten back to his winning ways with new partner, junior Bruce Man-Son-Hing, as the pair has remained undefeated with four wins together. Junior Daniel Gealer and graduate student Mason Hansen have played all throughout the lineup and showed increasing rapport with each other, posting a combined 4-1 record from the No. 2 and 3 doubles positions.
 
VERSUS THE OPPONENTS
Boston College (4-3) visits UC Irvine at 1:00 p.m on Monday in search of its first win on the road. The Eagles are led by a pair of juniors, Derek Austin and Sean Mullins, each with six wins in singles match play.
 
The following day, UC Irvine hosts a tough matchup against Villanova (8-2), currently on a three-match win streak. The Wildcats have felt comfortable on the road, posting a 7-2 away record so far this season. This past weekend, Villanova defeated UC San Diego 4-3 after sweeping doubles action and claiming three victories in singles play. After losing its first seven, Weber State (4-7) has bounced back by winning four in a row, most recently a 5-2 decision over Northern Colorado.
 
GET TO KNOW THE NEWCOMERS
UC Irvine welcomes two freshmen and one transfer in 2018-19. Sophomore Mateusz Smolicki (Warsaw, Poland) played at USC in 2017-18 when the Trojans went 20-9 overall and finished the campaign ranked 11th in the nation. Smolicki adds to the Anteaters' current international talent of Antoine Barthe (France) and Sasha Krasnov (Ukraine).
 
Freshman Aaron Bailey joins the 'Eaters from Las Vegas, Nev., where he helped Faith Lutheran High School to a state title. Fellow freshman Mike Mkrtchian made the trip down the 5 Freeway from Reseda, Calif. Mkrtchian was ranked among the top-five in the Southern California sectional rankings and was among the top-75 in the national rankings.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Anteaters have a busy week ahead as they are set to host Gonzaga (March 11), Navy (March 12), Quinnipiac (March 12) and Utah (March 13).