Ellis Wins Three Singles Matches

UC Irvine junior Aaron Ellis (Hayward, CA) earned Big West Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week after winning three singles matches in four tries and helping the Anteaters to a 2-2 week.

Ellis defeated Boston College's Sam Wagner 6-2, 6-2 to help UCI to a 6-1 team victory on Monday. On Wednesday, the Anteaters dropped a match to Georgia State 5-2, but Ellis toppled opponent Clarence Boyd in a tight match, 6-4, 3-6, 12-10. Both victories occurred at the No. 3 spot.

In the final two matches of the week for Ellis, he moved up to No. 2 singles. Ellis knocked off Yale's Milosz Gudzowski 6-1, 7-6 (3) to do his part in attempting to defeat the nation's 66th-ranked team, but UCI fell 4-2. The Anteaters closed out the week with a 6-0 loss to No. 4 Duke, and Ellis had his only setback against the 28th-ranked player in the land, Jonathan Stokke, losing a close 6-3, 6-4 decision.

At No. 1 doubles, Ellis went 1-2 on the week.

Bernhard Finds Success At No. 1 Singles

UC Irvine sophomore Becky Bernhard (Roseville, CA) went 3-0 at No. 1 singles, helping her team to a key conference win over No. 69 Pacific, to win the Big West Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week award.

The Anteaters went 2-1 on the week as a team. They began with a 4-2 setback to No. 70 Sacramento State, but Bernhard did her part in defeating Margarita Karnaukhova 6-4, 2-6, 10-6. In a 6-0 UCI win over UC Davis, Bernhard had an easy time with Ally Muller in a 6-0, 6-1 victory. Against Pacific, Bernhard won the first set 6-1 against Vana Mrazovic, and led 2-0 in the second before Mrazovic retired from the match. The Anteaters rolled to a 6-0 team victory over the Tigers.

Doubles matches were not held against any of the three opponents.