UCLA
UC Irvine
Bruins to Host Three Matches in Four Days
March 28, 2017 | Men's Tennis
LOS ANGELES -- After 12 days off, the No. 10 UCLA men's tennis team returns to Sunset Canyon Tennis Courts to put a bow on non-conference play Wednesday before opening Pac-12 action with back-to-back matches this weekend. The Bruins will host UC Irvine in a midweek match on Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. before welcoming No. 32 Washington Friday at 3:00 p.m. and concluding with Oregon on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
The Bruins will look to continue an impressive 7-0 start to their home schedule when UC Irvine invades Sunset Courts Wednesday. UCLA has outscored opponents 32-7 in those contests, including a 4-3 win over Duke in its latest victory, which was clinched at 4-1. Logan Staggs posted the deciding point for the Bruins, who dropped the doubles point to the Blue Devils, but rallied with wins on Courts 6, 3, 2 and 4 in singles play.
In UC Irvine, UCLA will face a team that it holds a 37-2 all-time record against. The Bruins have blanked the Anteaters each of the past three seasons, including a 7-0 decision on Feb. 20, 2016. Bruins posted straight-set victories on five of the six singles courts.
The Anteaters currently hold a 6-10 record on the 2017 campaign. They recently concluded an eight-match homestand with a 5-3 record that also reflects their month of March thus far. UCLA and UC Irvine have shared four common opponents in USC, Grand Canyon, New Mexico and Lamar. The Bruins have split two matches with the Trojans and swept the non-conference foes, while the Anteaters are 1-3 in those contests, with their lone win coming against the Lobos.
Conference play will come to Sunset Courts two days later, when Washington pays a visit. The Bruins possess a 32-2 all-time record against the Huskies, who have not defeated UCLA since 2006. Most recently, the Bruins posted a 4-0 win over the Huskies at the Nordstrom Tennis Center, as current UCLA players Staggs and Joseph Di Giulio recorded singles points on Courts 5 and 6, respectively.
The Huskies hold an 11-4 overall mark in 2017, including a 4-1 record in the month of March. They are represented by Mitch Stewart in the latest ITA/Oracle singles rankings, as the junior checked in at No. 89 when the March 21 installment was announced.
UCLA will have a quick turnaround when Oregon takes its shot at the Bruins 24 hours later. The Ducks are off to a 14-2 start on the dual-match season, with both of its losses coming to ranked opponents. Sophomore Thomas Laurent is ranked No. 40 in the ITA/Oracle singles rankings.
The Bruins will take a 24-0 all-time record into their showdown with the Ducks, who dropped a home match to UCLA last season by a score of 4-1 (March 25, 2016). Oregon captured the doubles point, but the Bruins ran off four consecutive singles decisions to seal the conference win. UCLA junior Martin Redlicki defeated Laurent in straight sets on Court 2, 6-3, 6-4.
