No. 3 UC Irvine (14-7, 3-2 Big West) vs.
No. 6 Hawai'i (7-12, 1-4 Big West)
Date: Thursday, April 25
Time: 9 a.m. (PDT)
Location: Indian Wells Tennis Garden - Indian Wells, Calif.
Live Results // Tournament Central

Notes (PDF)

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine is headed to Indian Wells, Calif., as the No. 3 seed in the Big West Tournament, and will take on No. 6 Hawaii (7-12, 1-4 Big West) in a first round matchup on Thursday, April 25 at 9:00 a.m.
 
STORYLINES
• Seniors Sasha Krasnov and Luis Lopez have combined for 17 singles victories at the top two positions.
• Lopez earned his third career Big West Player of the Week award on March 13.
• He was recognized after going unbeaten at No. 1 singles and No. 3 doubles vs. Boston College and Villanova.
• Lopez also had a clutch 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 win at the top of the lineup to give UCI a 4-3 victory over Gonzaga.
• Junior Daniel Gealer has come out on top in five of his last six singles matches and leads the team with 13 wins.
• Gealer is a combined 11-3 when playing at the No. 5 and No. 6 spots.
• Sophomore Mateusz Smolicki is second on the squad with 11 singles victories.
• Smolicki recently defeated a ranked opponent, taking down No. 93 Victor Krustev (UCSB), 6-4, 6-1.
• Senior Mason Hansen is 5-1 at No. 3 singles, suffering his first loss at that position against Hawai'i on April 6.
• Lopez and junior Bruce Man-Son-Hing have led the way in doubles with a 13-3 record at Nos. 1-3.
 
POSTSEASON HISTORY
Since 1994, UC Irvine is 28-23 in Big West Tournament matches. The Anteaters have advanced to the championship eight times, most recently in 2015. They claimed the tournament title in 2005, 2010 and 2011. Thursday will mark the third consecutive postseason meeting between UC Irvine and Hawai'i. The 'Eaters swept the Rainbow Warriors in each of their previous first round matchups.
 
PREVIOUSLY, AGAINST HAWAII
In their last meeting on April 6, UC Irvine defeated Hawai'i 5-2 at the UH Tennis Complex. The 'Eaters came out of the gates strong, after Luis Lopez/Bruce Man-Son-Hing and Sasha Krasnov/Daniel Gealer each defeated their opponents, 6-4, to earn the doubles point. Krasnov kicked off singles play by dispatching Andre Illagan, 6-3, 6-4, at the top of the lineup. Lopez followed with a dominant win over Lucas Labrunie, 6-3, 6-1, at No. 2. In only his second outing of the spring season, Mike Mkrtchian then stepped up and delivered the match-clinching 7-6, 6-4 victory over Chia-Hua Lu at the No. 6 spot. Bajpai was also able to grind out a 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 comeback win at the No. 5 position against Asad Siyyid.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine concluded the regular season with a 4-0 sweep over UC Davis (11-10, 1-4 Big West) last Saturday. The 'Eaters got out to a hot start with wins at the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles positions. At the top spot, Mateusz Smolicki and Vatsal Bajpai clinched the point for the 'Eaters with a 6-1 triumph over David Goulak/Ivan Thamma, who had been ranked as high as #78 earlier this season. In singles play, Mason Hansen (No. 5) and Smolicki (No. 3) kept the momentum going with straight-set victories. As close matches ensued at courts 1, 2 and 4, Vatsal Bajpai topped Arjith Jayaraman 7-5, 6-3 to secure the sweep for the 'Eaters.

SCOUTING THE 'BOWS
Hawai'i (7-12, 1-4 Big West) lost its last four matches of the regular season. Andre Ilagan leads the Rainbow Warriors with 11 singles wins, including nine at the No. 1 position. Lucas Labrunie has also combined for 10 victories at Nos. 2 and 3.
 
A GLANCE AT THE REST OF THE FIELD
If UC Irvine wins on Thursday, it will advance to Friday's semifinal against No. 2 Cal Poly. The Mustangs finished the Big West regular season with a 4-1 record, losing only to top-seeded UC Santa Barbara. Cal Poly defeated UC Irvine 5-2 in the conference opener on March 30. In their most recent postseason meeting in 2015, the 'Eaters topped the Mustangs 4-1.
 
In the other first-round match, No. 4 UC Davis will tangle with No. 5 UC Riverside. The winner will face the Gauchos in the semifinals.
 
SENIOR SUCCESS
In their regular-season finale, seniors Luis Lopez, Sasha Krasnov, Mason Hansen and Vatsal Bajpai combined to go 6-0 in singles and doubles to lead UC Irvine to a sweep of UC Davis.
 
All four have been key contributors in their Anteater careers, especially this year. Krasnov and Lopez have combined for 17 wins at Nos. 1 and 2. Lopez had one of the most thrilling victories of the campaign, mounting an epic comeback at the top of the lineup to clinch a 4-3 win over Gonzaga. After falling behind 5-2 in the third set, Lopez saved four match points to defeat Ruadhan O'Sullivan, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5. Hansen has added nine wins at Nos. 3-5, while Bajpai is 6-1 at the fifth and sixth spots.
 
"Luis, Sasha, Mason and Vatsal truly embody the student-athlete ideal," head coach Mike Saunders said. "They have represented the University with class, excelled in both the classroom and on the court, and they have inspired their coaches and teammates with their passion and work ethic. More than anything, they have contributed great leadership and helped us shape our team culture and galvanized our identity."
 
MAKING THE TRANSITION
In his first season after transferring from USC, sophomore Mateusz Smolicki has played a big role in UC Irvine's success this year. He owns a handful of impressive victories, highlighted by a convincing 6-4, 6-1 win over #93 Victor Krustev of UCSB. Smolicki ranks second on the team with 11 singles wins, behind only Daniel Gealer (13), who was also a sophomore transfer from UCLA last year.
 
IT TAKES TWO
Much of the success this season can be attributed to the strong start in doubles play. Twelve of the Anteaters' 14 wins this year have come after securing the doubles point. Luis Lopez and Bruce Man-Son-Hing lead the 'Eaters with a 13-3 record, playing at all three positions. Vatsal Bajpai and Mateusz Smolicki also earned eight victories together at the top spot, while Mason Hansen and Sasha Krasnov are 3-1 after recently joining forces.