Teams: UC Davis at No. 67 UC Irvine; UC Riverside; Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
Records: Aggies, 2-11; Anteaters, 8-13; Highlanders, 4-14; Stags, 18-4
Where: Anteater Tennis Stadium – Irvine, Calif.; Student Recreation Center Tennis Courts – Riverside, Calif.; David X. Marks and Ben F. Smith Tennis Courts – Claremont, Calif.
When: Friday at 1 p.m.; Saturday at 10 a.m.; Sunday at noon
Who to watch: Senior Michael Reiser has risen to the challenge of leading the UC Davis men’s tennis team.
The De La Salle High School graduate has firmly cemented himself in the No. 2 singles slot with his consistent play, posting a team-high four wins in the position.
Reiser is in his third season with the Aggies after transferring from Boston College, where he had three singles victories as a freshman.
Did you know? Reiser, a second-team All-Big West Conference selection in doubles last season, also leads the team in doubles victories with four. He’s paired with new partner Nic Amaroli.
Preview: Coming off two hard-fought losses last weekend, the Aggies will look to come off this three-game road trip with some added success.
Their first match will probably prove to be their most difficult as the Aggies square off with the Anteaters. UC Irvine sits comfortably in first place in the Big West.
The ‘Eaters are led by standout freshmen Steven Henderson and Fabian Matthews, their No. 1 and No. 2 singles players, respectively.
Last season, UC Irvine came into Marya Welch Tennis Center and knocked off the Aggies 5-2 for a grinded-out win. All but one of the singles matches went three sets, including four tiebreakers. Tyler Hunter Lee and Nick Lopez grabbed the lone victories for the Aggies in singles play.
After Friday’s match, UC Davis will head over to Riverside to face the fifth-place Highlanders.
UC Riverside is one of two teams in the Big West yet to earn a conference victory, the Aggies being the other.
In the final match of the weekend, the UC Davis will play non-conference foe Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in Claremont.
The Stags are sitting at 15-4 overall this season, good for first place in the Division III Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
– Matt Miller
