Saturday, February 1
Irvine, Calif.
12:30 PM
UC Irvine
vs
San Diego State
UCI Hosts San Diego State in Dual-Match Season Opener
January 30, 2020 | Men's Tennis
San Diego State (1-3) at
UC Irvine (0-0)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 1
Time: 12:30 p.m. (PST)
Location: Anteater Tennis Stadium - Irvine, Calif.
Match Notes (PDF)
IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's tennis team kicks off its dual-match season this Saturday, Feb. 1, when it welcomes San Diego State to Anteater Tennis Stadium for a 12:30 p.m. showdown.
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STORYLINES
β’ UC Irvine returns six letterwinners from a 2019 squad that went 15-8 and made its fifth-straight appearance in the semifinals of the Big West Tournament. The Anteaters also welcome four newcomers with two freshmen and two transfers.
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β’ All 10 'Eaters saw action during the fall tournament season. They combined for 47 singles and 18 doubles victories.
Β
β’ Junior Mateusz Smolicki and sophomore Mike Mkrtchian led the way with eight singles wins each.
Β
β’ Smolicki took home the consolation championship at the ITA Southwest Regionals in Malibu. After falling in the Round of 128, he won five consecutive matches to claim the back draw title. He also came out on top in his flight's consolation bracket at the Aztec Fall Invitational.
Β
β’ Mkrtchian finished with a team-best 8-2 record, picking up impressive wins over opponents from Pac-12 schools UCLA and Utah. In addition, he claimed the State Flight consolation championship at the Aztec Fall Invitational.
Β
β’ Junior Jeremy Merville (7-3), sophomore Aaron Bailey (5-2) and senior Daniel Gealer (5-5) all finished with a singles record at or above .500.
Β
β’ In doubles, Bailey and freshman Ali Amiri partnered for a team-leading 5-3 mark. They got out to a hot start, winning their first three matches to secure the Flight B Championship at the season-opening Aztec Fall Invitational. Amiri/Bailey upended fellow Anteaters Antoine Barthe/Mike Mkrtchian in the final.
Β
β’ The LMU Invitational was a four-team tournament with each school squaring off in both singles and doubles over the course of three days (Nov. 8-10). Although the team results did not count, UCI went 3-0, defeating Pac-12 member Utah, Utah State and host Loyola Marymount.
Β
β’ UC Irvine went 2-6 in singles and 1-0 in doubles against San Diego State players during its three fall tournaments. Four of the eight singles matches went to three sets.
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β’ In its NCAA Division I history, the 'Eaters have made 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, while winning 17 Big West regular-season championships and three Big West Tournament titles.
Β
SCOUTING THE AZTECS
San Diego State (1-3) has already played four dual matches, including three against ranked opponents. Most recently, the Aztecs fell to No. 10 UCLA, 4-1, and No. 24 San Diego, 4-0, as part of the ITA Kick Off Weekend (Jan. 25-26). Their lone win came against UC San Diego, 6-1.
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SDSU welcomes back six letterwinners from last year's squad that went 15-10 and made the program's first appearance in the finals of the Mountain West Championship since 2010. Junior Jan Kirchhoff is the top returner after logging 23 singles victories during the 2019 campaign. Senior Rafael Gonzalez Almazan also racked up 21 wins last season.
SERIES RECORD
Since 1989, UC Irvine is 6-14 against San Diego State. The two teams met last year with the Aztecs edging the Anteaters, 4-3, in San Diego (Jan. 26, 2019). UCI's last win against SDSU was a 6-1 triumph in 2011.
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DOUBLES KING
Senior Bruce Man-Son-Hing is a two-time All-Big West doubles selection. He earned first-team honors in 2018 and second-team recognition in 2019. In three years, he has accumulated a 39-21 record. His next doubles win will put him in a tie for 30th in school history.
Β
SENIOR LEADER
Senior Daniel Gealer is the Anteaters' active singles wins leader (29). In two seasons at UCI, the UCLA transfer is 29-11 (.725) in dual-match play. He has seen most of his time at No. 4 and No. 5 in the lineup.
Β
MAKING AN IMPRESSION
In his first season with the 'Eaters, junior Mateusz Smolicki earned All-Big West honorable mention nods in both singles and doubles. Smolicki finished with 12 dual-match singles wins and partnered with recent graduate Vatsal Bajpai to earn eight of his nine doubles victories at the top of the lineup. Smolicki transferred from USC prior to the 2018-19 campaign.
Β
SEASON OUTLOOK
UC Irvine has the talent, experience and chemistry to make some noise in the Big West Conference this season. The Anteaters saw a lot of individual success in their three preseason tournaments and will be looking to translate that into team success starting with their dual-match opener this weekend.
Β
"We are very excited to build off our successful fall preseason," fifth-year head coach Mike Saunders said. "We are a young, hungry, passionate and united group this year. We have another challenging schedule that will enable us to grow and become fierce competitors come Big West Conference time. Given how inspired and motivated our players are, this season will no doubt be a successful, compelling ride."
Β
UP NEXT
UC Irvine begins a five-match road swing next weekend with contests at San Francisco (Friday, Feb. 7) and Saint Mary's (Sunday, Feb. 9).
Β
Β
UC Irvine (0-0)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 1
Time: 12:30 p.m. (PST)
Location: Anteater Tennis Stadium - Irvine, Calif.
Match Notes (PDF)
IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's tennis team kicks off its dual-match season this Saturday, Feb. 1, when it welcomes San Diego State to Anteater Tennis Stadium for a 12:30 p.m. showdown.
Β
STORYLINES
β’ UC Irvine returns six letterwinners from a 2019 squad that went 15-8 and made its fifth-straight appearance in the semifinals of the Big West Tournament. The Anteaters also welcome four newcomers with two freshmen and two transfers.
Β
β’ All 10 'Eaters saw action during the fall tournament season. They combined for 47 singles and 18 doubles victories.
Β
β’ Junior Mateusz Smolicki and sophomore Mike Mkrtchian led the way with eight singles wins each.
Β
β’ Smolicki took home the consolation championship at the ITA Southwest Regionals in Malibu. After falling in the Round of 128, he won five consecutive matches to claim the back draw title. He also came out on top in his flight's consolation bracket at the Aztec Fall Invitational.
Β
β’ Mkrtchian finished with a team-best 8-2 record, picking up impressive wins over opponents from Pac-12 schools UCLA and Utah. In addition, he claimed the State Flight consolation championship at the Aztec Fall Invitational.
Β
β’ Junior Jeremy Merville (7-3), sophomore Aaron Bailey (5-2) and senior Daniel Gealer (5-5) all finished with a singles record at or above .500.
Β
β’ In doubles, Bailey and freshman Ali Amiri partnered for a team-leading 5-3 mark. They got out to a hot start, winning their first three matches to secure the Flight B Championship at the season-opening Aztec Fall Invitational. Amiri/Bailey upended fellow Anteaters Antoine Barthe/Mike Mkrtchian in the final.
Β
β’ The LMU Invitational was a four-team tournament with each school squaring off in both singles and doubles over the course of three days (Nov. 8-10). Although the team results did not count, UCI went 3-0, defeating Pac-12 member Utah, Utah State and host Loyola Marymount.
Β
β’ UC Irvine went 2-6 in singles and 1-0 in doubles against San Diego State players during its three fall tournaments. Four of the eight singles matches went to three sets.
Β
β’ In its NCAA Division I history, the 'Eaters have made 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, while winning 17 Big West regular-season championships and three Big West Tournament titles.
Β
SCOUTING THE AZTECS
San Diego State (1-3) has already played four dual matches, including three against ranked opponents. Most recently, the Aztecs fell to No. 10 UCLA, 4-1, and No. 24 San Diego, 4-0, as part of the ITA Kick Off Weekend (Jan. 25-26). Their lone win came against UC San Diego, 6-1.
Β
SDSU welcomes back six letterwinners from last year's squad that went 15-10 and made the program's first appearance in the finals of the Mountain West Championship since 2010. Junior Jan Kirchhoff is the top returner after logging 23 singles victories during the 2019 campaign. Senior Rafael Gonzalez Almazan also racked up 21 wins last season.
SERIES RECORD
Since 1989, UC Irvine is 6-14 against San Diego State. The two teams met last year with the Aztecs edging the Anteaters, 4-3, in San Diego (Jan. 26, 2019). UCI's last win against SDSU was a 6-1 triumph in 2011.
Β
DOUBLES KING
Senior Bruce Man-Son-Hing is a two-time All-Big West doubles selection. He earned first-team honors in 2018 and second-team recognition in 2019. In three years, he has accumulated a 39-21 record. His next doubles win will put him in a tie for 30th in school history.
Β
SENIOR LEADER
Senior Daniel Gealer is the Anteaters' active singles wins leader (29). In two seasons at UCI, the UCLA transfer is 29-11 (.725) in dual-match play. He has seen most of his time at No. 4 and No. 5 in the lineup.
Β
MAKING AN IMPRESSION
In his first season with the 'Eaters, junior Mateusz Smolicki earned All-Big West honorable mention nods in both singles and doubles. Smolicki finished with 12 dual-match singles wins and partnered with recent graduate Vatsal Bajpai to earn eight of his nine doubles victories at the top of the lineup. Smolicki transferred from USC prior to the 2018-19 campaign.
Β
SEASON OUTLOOK
UC Irvine has the talent, experience and chemistry to make some noise in the Big West Conference this season. The Anteaters saw a lot of individual success in their three preseason tournaments and will be looking to translate that into team success starting with their dual-match opener this weekend.
Β
"We are very excited to build off our successful fall preseason," fifth-year head coach Mike Saunders said. "We are a young, hungry, passionate and united group this year. We have another challenging schedule that will enable us to grow and become fierce competitors come Big West Conference time. Given how inspired and motivated our players are, this season will no doubt be a successful, compelling ride."
Β
UP NEXT
UC Irvine begins a five-match road swing next weekend with contests at San Francisco (Friday, Feb. 7) and Saint Mary's (Sunday, Feb. 9).
Β
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Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
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