Loyola Marymount (1-1) at
UC Irvine (0-1)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 4
Time: 12 p.m. (PST)
Location: Anteater Tennis Stadium

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's tennis team will host Loyola Marymount in its home opener this Saturday, Feb. 4. First serve is set for 12 p.m. at Anteater Tennis Stadium.
 
The 'Eaters are the reigning Big West champions after upsetting the top two seeds in last year's tournament. They swept No. 2 seed and 60th-ranked Cal Poly in the semifinals before taking down top-seeded and No. 55 UC Santa Barbara in the title match. They went on to make their 12th NCAA Tournament appearance, and finished the campaign ranked 67th in the nation with a 17-7 overall record.
 
The Anteaters are primed to continue their success as they bring back six returners from the 2022 squad, while adding a pair of seasoned newcomers in transfers Enrique Luque Rico (Pepperdine) and Brandon Park (Pacific).
 
"This year's team understands all that it takes to win a conference championship and they are motivated every day by the challenge and opportunity to repeat," said eighth-year head coach Mike Saunders.
 
STORYLINES
• LMU is the first of five West Coast Conference opponents on UCI's 2023 dual-match schedule.
• Mike Saunders was named the 2022 Big West Men's Tennis Coach of the Year.
• Saunders led UC Irvine to its first Big West men's tennis title in 11 years.
• His squad also had a fifth-straight winning campaign (17-7) with four ranked victories.
• Noah Zamora was named the Big West co-Freshman of the Year after logging a team-best 13-2 dual-match record.
• Zamora was also a first-team all-conference selection in doubles and garnered second-team recognition in singles.
• Zamora and Ali Amiri traveled to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the ITA All-American Championships in the fall.
• In their Division I history, the Anteaters have made 12 NCAA Tournament appearances.
• They have placed first in the Big West standings 17 times and won four Big West Tournament titles.
• UC Irvine has been named an ITA All-Academic Team (minimum 3.2 team GPA) in each of the last six years.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine faced a tough test in its dual-match opener on Jan. 22, traveling to Los Angeles where it fell to No. 8 USC at Marks Stadium. In doubles action, the Trojans' Stefan Dostanic/Bradley Frye, who were ranked 12th in the nation, defeated Matthew Sah and Noah Zamora, 6-2, at the top of the lineup. Ryan Colby/Karl Lee then secured the point with a 6-2 victory over Ali Amiri/Enrique Luque Rico at No. 3. USC, which also had two ranked players in its singles lineup, won all six matches. Zamora fell to No. 79 Dostanic on court one. After another Trojan victory at the fifth position, Wojtek Marek delivered the match clincher with a 6-1, 6-4 triumph over Luque Rico. Rithvik Krishna split his first two sets against Colby at No. 4. After a tough 6-4 loss in the opener, Krishna raced out to a 4-0 lead and an eventual 6-1 win in the second. With the match already clinched, they played out a super tiebreaker with Colby taking the 10-4 victory. Brandon Park also dropped a hard-fought 6-3, 6-2 decision to No. 65 Bradley Frye, while Thomas Smart's comeback effort fell just short in a 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) loss to Samuel Rubell at No. 6.
 
SCOUTING THE LIONS
Loyola Marymount (1-1) split a pair of non-conference matches against Big West opponents to start its 2023 season. LMU defeated UC Riverside, 5-2, before falling at UC San Diego, 4-3. The Lions have seven returners from last year's squad that went 7-16 overall. They also brought in two newcomers in freshman Alex Pedro Parra from Spain and Yassine Smiej, a graduate transfer from Concordia (Irvine). Last year, UCI swept Loyola Marymount, 4-0, in Los Angeles.

SENIOR LEADERS
Seniors and veteran leaders Matthew Sah and Ali Amiri have both been with the UC Irvine men's tennis program since fall 2019. The two have come a long way from seeing their freshman dual-match season canceled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to becoming Big West champions last year. During their collegiate careers, the 'Eaters have boasted a 32-16 dual-match record. Sah is the Anteaters' active leader in doubles wins at 23.
 
"Matt and Ali will continue to give us depth and the competitive fire we need to win the Big West," said Saunders. "They're why we are a united team that plays for one another, and that was a big reason why we won the conference tournament last season."
 
BEST IN THE BIG WEST
Sophomore Noah Zamora was named the 2022 Big West co-Freshman of the Year after going 13-2 in dual-match singles. Zamora, who played everywhere from No. 1 to No. 5, proved he could go up against the best, combining for a 10-1 record at the top three spots in the lineup. In the fall, Zamora led the Anteaters with seven singles victories. He advanced to the Round of 64 at the ITA All-American Championships and the Round of 32 at the ITA Southwest Regional.
 
RETURNING DEPTH
UCI received significant contributions from a pair of true freshmen in its 2022 championship season. Lawee Sherif, who joined the team last January, was a staple in the lineup, playing at Nos. 3-5. Rithvik Krishna also finished with a 5-1 dual-match record. He won his last three decisions, including a 1-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory in the Big West Championship match. In addition, junior Thomas Smart is ready to get back on the court after suffering a season-ending injury last year.
 
SEASONED NEWCOMERS
UC Irvine added two newcomers ahead of the 2022-23 season. Enrique Luque Rico (Cordoba, Spain) is a graduate transfer who spent the last four years at Pepperdine where he was a two-time All-West Coast Conference selection in singles. He finished the 2021-22 campaign with a 20-5 overall record. Brandon Park is also a junior transfer out of Pacific (2020-22). Park went 6-2 during the fall season with a couple impressive wins over Pac-12 opponents.
 
STAYING LOCAL
UC Irvine's eight-man roster is comprised of six student-athletes from the Southern California area, including Ali Amiri and Rithvik Krishna, who are both from Irvine.
 
INTERNATIONAL FLAIR
Two international student-athletes - Enrique Luque Rico (Spain) and Thomas Smart (England) - round out UCI's roster. The 'Eaters have had at least two international student-athletes every year since 2014-15.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine will face its second Pac-12 opponent on the road next Sunday, Feb. 11, when it heads to UCLA, which is receiving votes in the ITA Poll.