Sunday, February 14
San Diego, Calif.
12:30 PM
UC Irvine
at
University of San Diego
UCI Heads to San Diego for Sunday Showdown
February 12, 2021 | Men's Tennis
UC Irvine (1-1) at
San Diego (1-0)
Date:Β Sunday, Feb. 14
Time:Β 12:30 p.m. (PST)
Location:Β Skip and Cindy Hogan Tennis Center - San Diego, Calif.
LiveΒ Scoring
Notes (PDF)
IRVINE, Calif. -Β The UC Irvine men's tennis team will continue its 2021 non-conference season on the road this weekend as it heads to the University of San Diego for a 12:30 p.m. match on Sunday, Feb. 14.
Due to current state and county guidelines, fans will not be permitted inside Skip and Cindy Hogan Tennis Center. Fans can follow along with live statistics coverage.
Β
STORYLINES
β’ UC Irvine will be on the road for its third-straight match to start the 2021 non-conference season.
β’ The Anteaters opened the year with a thrilling 4-3 win at Loyola Marymount on Sunday, Jan. 31.
β’ Due to cancelations in response to the pandemic, the match at LMU was UCI's first team competition in 328 days.
β’ In 2020, the 'Eaters were 5-3 before the rest of the dual-match campaign, and subsequent fall season, were canceled.
β’ Bjorn Hoffmann made an impressive UC Irvine debut, winning at No. 1 singles and doubles in the opener.
β’ He earned the first Big West Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week award of 2021 for that effort.
β’ Ali Amiri delivered the final point against the Lions for his second career 4-3 match-clinching singles victory.
β’ Since joining UCI as a transfer from Nevada in 2019, Jeremy Merville has posted a team-leading 14 career singles wins.
β’ Bruce Man-Son-Hing owns a 44-24 career record in dual-match doubles.
β’ Man-Son-Hing's 44 victories are tied for 23rd among the Anteaters' all-time doubles win leaders.
β’ In their Division I history, the 'Eaters have made 11 NCAA Tournament appearances.
β’ They have finished first in the Big West standings 17 timesΒ and won three Big West Tournament titles.
β’ UC Irvine has been named an ITA All-Academic Team (minimum 3.2 team GPA) in each of the last four years.
Β
HOFFMANN EARNS FIRST BIG WEST WEEKLY AWARD
UC Irvine's Bjorn Hoffmann earned the first Big West Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week award for the 2021 season the conference office announced Wednesday (Feb. 10). Hoffmann, a 6-foot-2 graduate transfer from Cal, made his UCI debut at the top of the lineup in both singles and doubles last week. He started his Anteater career by going 2-0 in a 4-3 season-opening win at Loyola Marymount on Jan. 31. Hoffmann teamed up with Bruce Man-Son-Hing to defeat Daniel Moreno/Diego Nava, 7-6, at No. 1 doubles before dispatching Nava at No. 1 singles, 7-5, 6-4. On Feb. 5, Hoffmann and Man-Son-Hing challenged Bradley Frye/Riley Smith of top-ranked USC as they held a 5-3 lead before ultimately falling to the Trojans' No. 1 doubles pairing. In singles, Hoffmann also squared off against Smith, who is ranked 19th in the country.
Β
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine faced a daunting task in just its second dual match of the 2021 season as the Anteaters made their way to No. 1 USC for a Friday afternoon showdown. The Trojans fielded three singles players and one doubles team that were featured in the most recent Oracle/ITA Rankings. The 'Eaters didn't back down from the challenge, putting up a fight in all three doubles matches. At No. 3, Matthew Sah and Jonathan Star went back-and-forth with Colter Smith/Lodewijk Weststrate before falling, 6-4. On court two, Mark Peneff and Thomas Smart took a 5-3 lead over the 50th-ranked duo of Mor Bulis/Stefan Dostanic, but the Trojans battled back for the 7-5 victory. It was a similar story at the top of the lineup with Bjorn Hoffmann/Bruce Man-Son-Hing coming out of the gates strong. They pulled ahead 4-1 and 5-3 before Bradley Frye/Riley Smith stormed back for the 7-5 triumph.
Β
SCOUTING THE TOREROS
San Diego (1-0) opened its season with a 6-1 win over Cal Poly last Friday. The Toreros are led by a pair of seniors with a long list of accolades. Gui Osorio was the back-to-back West Coast Conference Player of the Year in 2018 and 2019, while August Holmgren is an All-American doubles player. Both individuals are ranked nationally in the 2021 Oracle/ITA singles rankings with Osorio coming in at No. 51 and Holmgren at No. 60.
Β
IT'S A DATE
Since 1997, UC Irvine is 4-3 when playing on Valentine's Day. Two of those wins came against ranked opponents as the Anteaters defeated No. 62 Oregon in 1999 and No. 45 Boise State in 2015. The match against the Broncos six years ago was the last time UCI played on Feb. 14.
Β
ANTEATER ROOTS
Graduate transfer Bjorn Hoffmann has returned to his Orange County roots for his final season of eligibility. A Newport Beach native, Hoffmann has strong ties to UC Irvine with his parents, Carsten and Biljana, and his uncle, Zoran Korac, all being Anteater tennis alums. Both his father and mother still rank among UCI's all-time win leaders. Hoffmann is looking to finish out a stellar collegiate career himself, as he was a three-time ITA Scholar-Athlete as a member of the Cal men's tennis team. He was ranked 81st in singles and 22nd in doubles in the final Oracle/ITA Rankings of the 2019 fall season. Hoffmann finished his Golden Bear career with a 67-34 singles and 39-28 doubles record.
Β
STATEMENT MADE
Senior Jeremy Merville (Paris, France) has been a key contributor in the UC Irvine lineup ever since his arrival on campus prior to the 2019-20 campaign. In his first season with the 'Eaters, which was shortened due to the pandemic, the transfer from Nevada picked up 13 overall singles (6-1 dual), and nine overall doubles wins. He was named the Big West Athlete of the Week on Feb. 19, 2020, after going a combined 4-0 in doubles and singles, without dropping a set in road victories at Sonoma State and Pacific.
Β
DOUBLES SPECIALIST
Senior Bruce Man-Son-Hing is a two-time All-Big West doubles selection, earning first-team honors in 2018 and second-team recognition in 2019. In his UCI career, Man-Son-Hing has accumulated a 44-24 dual-match doubles record. His 44 wins are tied for 23rd in school history.
Β
SUMMER CIRCUIT
Sophomore Matthew Sah won the ITA Summer Circuit event at Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego, July 11-13, 2020. He played five matches over the course of three days, finishing the tournament with a 3-6, 6-4, 15-13 comeback victory over Ellis Short in the championship match.
Β
San Diego (1-0)
Date:Β Sunday, Feb. 14
Time:Β 12:30 p.m. (PST)
Location:Β Skip and Cindy Hogan Tennis Center - San Diego, Calif.
LiveΒ Scoring
Notes (PDF)
IRVINE, Calif. -Β The UC Irvine men's tennis team will continue its 2021 non-conference season on the road this weekend as it heads to the University of San Diego for a 12:30 p.m. match on Sunday, Feb. 14.
Due to current state and county guidelines, fans will not be permitted inside Skip and Cindy Hogan Tennis Center. Fans can follow along with live statistics coverage.
Β
STORYLINES
β’ UC Irvine will be on the road for its third-straight match to start the 2021 non-conference season.
β’ The Anteaters opened the year with a thrilling 4-3 win at Loyola Marymount on Sunday, Jan. 31.
β’ Due to cancelations in response to the pandemic, the match at LMU was UCI's first team competition in 328 days.
β’ In 2020, the 'Eaters were 5-3 before the rest of the dual-match campaign, and subsequent fall season, were canceled.
β’ Bjorn Hoffmann made an impressive UC Irvine debut, winning at No. 1 singles and doubles in the opener.
β’ He earned the first Big West Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week award of 2021 for that effort.
β’ Ali Amiri delivered the final point against the Lions for his second career 4-3 match-clinching singles victory.
β’ Since joining UCI as a transfer from Nevada in 2019, Jeremy Merville has posted a team-leading 14 career singles wins.
β’ Bruce Man-Son-Hing owns a 44-24 career record in dual-match doubles.
β’ Man-Son-Hing's 44 victories are tied for 23rd among the Anteaters' all-time doubles win leaders.
β’ In their Division I history, the 'Eaters have made 11 NCAA Tournament appearances.
β’ They have finished first in the Big West standings 17 timesΒ and won three Big West Tournament titles.
β’ UC Irvine has been named an ITA All-Academic Team (minimum 3.2 team GPA) in each of the last four years.
Β
HOFFMANN EARNS FIRST BIG WEST WEEKLY AWARD
UC Irvine's Bjorn Hoffmann earned the first Big West Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week award for the 2021 season the conference office announced Wednesday (Feb. 10). Hoffmann, a 6-foot-2 graduate transfer from Cal, made his UCI debut at the top of the lineup in both singles and doubles last week. He started his Anteater career by going 2-0 in a 4-3 season-opening win at Loyola Marymount on Jan. 31. Hoffmann teamed up with Bruce Man-Son-Hing to defeat Daniel Moreno/Diego Nava, 7-6, at No. 1 doubles before dispatching Nava at No. 1 singles, 7-5, 6-4. On Feb. 5, Hoffmann and Man-Son-Hing challenged Bradley Frye/Riley Smith of top-ranked USC as they held a 5-3 lead before ultimately falling to the Trojans' No. 1 doubles pairing. In singles, Hoffmann also squared off against Smith, who is ranked 19th in the country.
Β
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine faced a daunting task in just its second dual match of the 2021 season as the Anteaters made their way to No. 1 USC for a Friday afternoon showdown. The Trojans fielded three singles players and one doubles team that were featured in the most recent Oracle/ITA Rankings. The 'Eaters didn't back down from the challenge, putting up a fight in all three doubles matches. At No. 3, Matthew Sah and Jonathan Star went back-and-forth with Colter Smith/Lodewijk Weststrate before falling, 6-4. On court two, Mark Peneff and Thomas Smart took a 5-3 lead over the 50th-ranked duo of Mor Bulis/Stefan Dostanic, but the Trojans battled back for the 7-5 victory. It was a similar story at the top of the lineup with Bjorn Hoffmann/Bruce Man-Son-Hing coming out of the gates strong. They pulled ahead 4-1 and 5-3 before Bradley Frye/Riley Smith stormed back for the 7-5 triumph.
Β
SCOUTING THE TOREROS
San Diego (1-0) opened its season with a 6-1 win over Cal Poly last Friday. The Toreros are led by a pair of seniors with a long list of accolades. Gui Osorio was the back-to-back West Coast Conference Player of the Year in 2018 and 2019, while August Holmgren is an All-American doubles player. Both individuals are ranked nationally in the 2021 Oracle/ITA singles rankings with Osorio coming in at No. 51 and Holmgren at No. 60.
Β
IT'S A DATE
Since 1997, UC Irvine is 4-3 when playing on Valentine's Day. Two of those wins came against ranked opponents as the Anteaters defeated No. 62 Oregon in 1999 and No. 45 Boise State in 2015. The match against the Broncos six years ago was the last time UCI played on Feb. 14.
Β
ANTEATER ROOTS
Graduate transfer Bjorn Hoffmann has returned to his Orange County roots for his final season of eligibility. A Newport Beach native, Hoffmann has strong ties to UC Irvine with his parents, Carsten and Biljana, and his uncle, Zoran Korac, all being Anteater tennis alums. Both his father and mother still rank among UCI's all-time win leaders. Hoffmann is looking to finish out a stellar collegiate career himself, as he was a three-time ITA Scholar-Athlete as a member of the Cal men's tennis team. He was ranked 81st in singles and 22nd in doubles in the final Oracle/ITA Rankings of the 2019 fall season. Hoffmann finished his Golden Bear career with a 67-34 singles and 39-28 doubles record.
Β
STATEMENT MADE
Senior Jeremy Merville (Paris, France) has been a key contributor in the UC Irvine lineup ever since his arrival on campus prior to the 2019-20 campaign. In his first season with the 'Eaters, which was shortened due to the pandemic, the transfer from Nevada picked up 13 overall singles (6-1 dual), and nine overall doubles wins. He was named the Big West Athlete of the Week on Feb. 19, 2020, after going a combined 4-0 in doubles and singles, without dropping a set in road victories at Sonoma State and Pacific.
Β
DOUBLES SPECIALIST
Senior Bruce Man-Son-Hing is a two-time All-Big West doubles selection, earning first-team honors in 2018 and second-team recognition in 2019. In his UCI career, Man-Son-Hing has accumulated a 44-24 dual-match doubles record. His 44 wins are tied for 23rd in school history.
Β
SUMMER CIRCUIT
Sophomore Matthew Sah won the ITA Summer Circuit event at Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego, July 11-13, 2020. He played five matches over the course of three days, finishing the tournament with a 3-6, 6-4, 15-13 comeback victory over Ellis Short in the championship match.
Β
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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