Dartmouth (6-3) at 
UC Irvine (8-4)
Date: Monday, March 21
Time: 2 p.m. (PDT)
Location: Anteater Tennis Stadium - Irvine, Calif.

DePaul (6-8) at
UC Irvine (8-4)
Date: Wednesday, March 23
Time: TBA
Location: Anteater Tennis Stadium - Irvine, Calif.

Notes (PDF)

IRVINE, Calif. - After taking a week off for finals, UC Irvine is back in action with two home matches, hosting Dartmouth on Monday, March 21, and DePaul on Wednesday, March 23, at Anteater Tennis Stadium.
 
STORYLINES
• The 'Eaters, who have not lost since Feb. 13, are on a season-long seven-match win streak.
• They have also won the doubles point in their last five outings.
• UCI has been tough to beat at Anteater Tennis Stadium in recent years, owning a 37-8 (.822) home record since 2018.
• Emmanuel Coste was 71st in the latest ITA Singles Rankings which were released on March 9.
• Coste, who has faced two top-10 opponents this year, is 5-2 at No. 1 singles.
• The graduate transfer kicked off the 2022 season by upsetting the NCAA's top-ranked singles player at the time.
• On Jan. 21, he took down then No. 1 August Holmgren of San Diego, 6-3, 0-6, 7-5.
• Coste was named the Big West Men's Tennis Player of the Week for his effort (Jan. 26).
• Riccardo Roberto has won his last five singles matches, but did not play last week due to injury.
• Noah Zamora (5-1) is also on a five-match win streak, playing at Nos. 1-5.
• Zamora made his first appearance at the top of the lineup on March 11, dispatching his opponent in straight sets.
• Lawee Sherif's first collegiate victory was a 6-2, 7-6 triumph (No. 3) that clinched a 4-0 sweep of Grand Canyon.
• Rithvik Krishna also picked up his first collegiate dual-match win to secure a 4-0 victory over Villanova on March 2.
• In his 2022 debut, Ali Amiri defeated Paul Barretto of ninth-ranked USC, 6-4, 2-6, 10-7, at the sixth position.
• UC Irvine made an appearance at No. 70 in the ITA National Team Rankings released on March 2.
• In their Division I history, the 'Eaters have made 11 NCAA Tournament appearances.
• They have placed first in the Big West standings 17 times and won three Big West Tournament titles.
• UC Irvine has been named an ITA All-Academic Team (minimum 3.2 team GPA) in each of the last five years.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Despite being short-handed due to injury, UC Irvine extended its win streak to seven with a 6-1 triumph over Boston University at Anteater Tennis Stadium on March 11. The 'Eaters got out to a strong start once again, claiming the doubles point for the fifth consecutive match. Matthew Sah and Rithvik Krishna cruised to a 6-1 victory over Jonah Dickson/Gabe Brown at No. 2, while Emmanuel Coste and Noah Zamora secured the early lead by defeating Johann Sajonz/Adrian Pawlowski, 6-2, at No. 1. In singles, the Terriers grabbed a point at No. 6 where UCI did not field a player, but Mike Mkrtchian quickly put UC Irvine back on top as he dispatched Dickson, 6-2, 6-0, at the second position. Ali Amiri followed with a 6-0, 6-2 win at No. 3, before Sah clinched on court four with a 6-1, 6-1 triumph. Krishna added his second collegiate dual-match win, and Zamora also came out on top in straight sets in his first match playing at No. 1 singles.
 
IN THE RANKINGS
Emmanuel Coste, who has been ranked as high as 60th in the nation, came in at No. 71 in the latest ITA Singles Top-125 (March 9). Coste picked up a signature 6-3, 0-6, 7-5 win over then No. 1 August Holmgren of San Diego in the dual-match opener on Jan. 21. The Frenchman is now 5-2 on the season with his only losses coming to UCLA's Drew Baird and USC's Stefan Dostanic, who is unbeaten and ranked seventh in the nation. Coste, a graduate transfer from Oregon, has been featured in the ITA Rankings in each of his four collegiate campaigns.
 
SCOUTING THE BIG GREEN
Dartmouth (6-3) brings a three-match win streak into its Southern California road trip where it will play five matches in six days. The Big Green is back in action after not competing during the 2020-21 season. Senior Pierce Widdecombe and freshman Alex Knox-Jones lead the squad with five dual-match singles wins each.
 
SCOUTING THE BLUE DEMONS
DePaul (6-8) split a pair of matches last weekend, falling at UNLV, 4-3, before defeating Seattle U, 6-1, in Las Vegas. The Blue Demons return five letterwinners from last year's squad that claimed the program's first BIG EAST title and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Reigning conference player of the year Vito Tonejc leads the squad with a 12-1 record at the top of the singles lineup. Tonejc has also teamed up with Marino Jakic to go 10-4 at No. 1 doubles.
 
SINGLES STREAKS
Riccardo Roberto has won each of his last five singles matches, going 4-0 at No. 2, and picking up a victory in his first appearance at the top of the lineup against Villanova on March 2. Roberto owns a team-best six wins in dual-match play. Noah Zamora (5-1) has also come out on top in each of his last five singles decisions. He has played primarily at No. 4, but due to injuries, moved up to Nos. 1 and 2 last week.
 
MATCH CLINCHERS
Six different 'Eaters have delivered the match-clinching point in the team's eight victories this season. Emmanuel Coste has ended the match on three different occasions, including in a 4-3 triumph at then No. 72 San Francisco. The first collegiate dual-match wins for both Rithvik Krishna and Lawee Sherif were also match clinchers.
 
SAH POWER
Junior Matthew Sah finished with a team-best 7-3 singles record in the fall. The San Diego native went 6-0 in hidden duals and picked up impressive wins over opponents from Pac-12 members Utah and Arizona. Sah is the Anteaters' only returning All-Big West performer as he received an honorable mention nod in doubles last year. He has 17 career dual-match doubles victories.
 
SENIOR YEAR
Through three-plus seasons at UC Irvine, which included two shortened campaigns due to the pandemic, senior Mike Mkrtchian has posted a 33-22 overall singles record. He is 18-10 in dual-match play, and coming off his best year after going 9-4 as a junior.
 
GRAD TRANSFERS
The Anteaters welcome two graduate transfers for the 2021-22 campaign. Emmanuel Coste, who hails from France, went 39-27 in three seasons at Pac-12 member Oregon. He has earned a singles ranking each year with a high of No. 60. Riccardo Roberto also boasted a 56-40 overall singles record in four seasons at Alabama. The Padova, Italy, native qualified for the 2021 NCAA Doubles Championships with partner Patrick Kaukovalta, and the duo closed out the campaign ranked 32nd in the nation. Coste is currently in the Master of Finance program, while Roberto is working toward a Master of Innovation and Entrepreneurship degree.
 
STAYING LOCAL
UC Irvine's nine-man roster is comprised of six student-athletes from the Southern California area. Three are Orange County natives, including Rithvik Krishna and Ali Amiri, who are both from Irvine.

INTERNATIONAL FLAIR
Three international student-athletes - Emmanuel Coste (France), Riccardo Roberto (Italy) and Thomas Smart (England) - round out UC Irvine's roster. The 'Eaters have had at least two international student-athletes every year since 2014-15.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine will begin Big West play with a road match at UC San Diego on Thursday, March 31. The Anteaters are then set to host Cal Poly on Sunday, April 3.