About the Teams:
UCLA enters the spring ranked No. 2 in the nation and is led by newcomer Jean- Noel Grinda and junior Vince Allegre who rank No. 6 and 4, respectively, entering the season.

Ranked No. 70 in the nation and No. 13 in Region VIII, UC Irvine is led by junior Thomas Bohun, sophomore Nick Varvais and junior Andrew Cheney. Bohun is listed No. 28 in the region. Last year, UCLA claimed the match, 6-1, in Westwood. The Bruins only loss was at No. 2 singles where Bohun defeated Kevin Kim. Although the Bruins claimed the doubles point, Bohun and his partner managed an upset at No. 1 doubles.

Ranked No. 41 in the nation and No. 4 in Region VII as a team, UNLV has four singles players ranked in the region. Asaf Tishler is listed fourth, Nenad Zlvkovic 19th, Damu Bobb 23rd, and Gregor Skorin 26th. Only Tishler, at No. 57, is listed among the national leaders. Last year, UCLA defeated UNLV, 4-3, on Feb. 1 at the LATC. UCLA claimed the doubles point and the top-three singles positions, but lost on the back three courts as a total of four singles matches went to three sets.

Last Week - UCLA Defeats SDSU In Home Opener:
The UCLA men's tennis team opened the 1998 season with a 5-2 win over No. 44 ranked San Diego State University at the Sunset Canyon Recreation Courts on Jan. 14. The match was moved to the Sunset Courts due to the resurfacing of the courts at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. UCLA started things off right by claiming the doubles point with victories at the No. 2 and 3 positions. The deciding doubles match saw UCLA's Vince Allegre and Jean-Noel Grinda defeated SDSU's Bobby Hrdina and Steve Adamson, 9-7, at No. 2.

San Diego State evened the score with a 6-3, 7-6 win at No. 2 singles as Eric Faulk defeated Allegre. The Bruins claimed the next three singles matches as Brandon Kramer started the roll with a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 6. Alex Decret added a 6-4, 6-3 victory in the No. 5 slot. Bruin newcomer, Grinda had the honors of clinching his first collegiate team dual-match with a 6-4, 7-6 win in the top singles position.

The final two matches went three sets each. UCLA's Jason Cook held on for a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 win in the No. 4 position. SDSU's Alexander Waske battled back to claim the No. 3 match 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 over Matt Breen.

Looking Ahead:
Pac-10 Conference action begins as UCLA plays host to Arizona and Arizona State over the weekend and the homestand concludes with local rival Pepperdine on Tues. Feb. 3. There is no admission charge to home matches which are played on campus at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.

UCLA Quick Facts

Team National Ranking: No. 2-Fall edition
Team's Dual Match Record:1-0
Pac-10 Record: 0-0
Head Coach: Billy Martin
Current Career Dual-match Record: 94-17
Last Year's Record: 25-4 overall, 9-1 Pac-10
Final Team Ranking: Region - 2, Nation - 3

Bruins in the ITA Rankings

Player            Singles    Doubles
Vince Allegre        4          24
Jean-Noel Grinda     6          24
Matt Breen          54          -
Jason Cook          70          -
Alex Decret         92          -