SAN FRANCISCO - The University of San Francisco men's tennis team opens up dual action on the road with a match slated against Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles, Calif. on Saturday, January 18. The Dons will continue the next day (Jan. 19) with a match against Pepperdine in Malibu at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center.

"We had a great week of practice," said head coach Pablo Pires de Almeida. "The Dons are hungry for the opportunity to play these great conference opponents this weekend. We look forward to battling hard and keeping our standard of improving every week. LMU and Pepperdine are well-coached and deep programs. We will need to come together as a team to have success against them."

LAST TIME OUT VS. LMU

The Lions took control early in the match and ultimately, USF fell 0-4 in its final regular season match last year.

To start, LMU took the first two doubles sets quickly on courts 1 and 3, but Nitzan Ricklis and doubles mate Romeo Jivraj won their court, 6-4. 

In singles, David Woodland, Phuc Huynh, and Jivraj fell in straight sets and the Lions finished with 4-0 sweep of the Dons. Former Don Ryan Marker, Ricklis and Paul Giraud put up strong fights on their courts, but left their matches unfinished. 

LAST TIME OUT VS. PEPPERDINE

Last season, The Dons clinched a 4-3 win over the Waves when Marker won a thrilling, three-set match.

USF took the doubles point when Huynh and Woodland recorded a 6-2 win. While Jivraj and Ricklis dropped their set against their doubles opponent, 6-3, the Dons retaliated with a 6-4 win from Marker and Giraud to take the 1-0 lead over Pepperdine.

Ricklis notched his singles win and Giraud ran away with a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 victory. By the end, Marker had clinched the dual after escaping with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win on his court. 

UP NEXT
Saturday's match is slated for 10 a.m. followed by Sunday's match at noon PT. Make sure to follow the Dons on social media @usfdonstennis and @usfmenstennis for updates and more news.