STOCKTON, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's tennis team closed out its weekend road trip with a 4-2 win over Pacific Sunday at Eve Zimmerman Tennis Center.
 
The Anteaters (1-4) came out strong, winning the doubles point for the second match in a row. Junior Brandon Park and sophomore Noah Zamora made quick work of Peter Alam/Manroop Saini, 6-2, at No. 1. Park/Zamora improved to 2-0 as a duo.
 
Senior Matthew Sah and sophomore Lawee Sherif followed suit with a 6-3 win over Andre Rodeia/Tiago Silva at the third position to secure the early lead. Sah/Sherif were making their season debut as a tandem.
 
In singles play, the Tigers quickly evened the score with a straight-set victory at the top of the lineup. Junior Thomas Smart answered by dispatching Riley Hillenbrand, 6-4, 6-3, on court six. It was his third win in his last four outings.
 
Graduate student Enrique Luque Rico then gave UCI a 3-1 advantage as he bounced back from a first-set loss to take down Ran Amar, 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 at No. 2.
 
Pacific (2-6) was able to stay alive with a hard-fought victory at No. 3, before sophomore Rithvik Krishna clinched the Anteaters' first win of the young season. Krishna upended Rodeia, 6-3, 7-6 (5) at the fourth spot.
 
UC Irvine will look to keep the momentum against two more West Coast Conference opponents as it returns home to host Saint Mary's (Feb. 24) and Gonzaga (Feb. 25).