Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
University of California Irvine
Men's Tennis Heads West for Five Matches in California
3/6/2020 2:45:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Setting the Scene
Sunday, March 8
4 p.m. (ET) | at UC Irvine (4-3) | Irvine, Calif.
Tuesday, March 10
Noon (ET) | at UC San Diego (9-2) | San Diego, Calif.
7:30 p.m. (ET) | at UC Riverside (12-5) | Riverside, Calif.
Wednesday, March 11
1 p.m. (ET) | vs. East Carolina (10-2) | San Diego, Calif.
5 p.m. (ET) | at San Diego Mesa (2-10) | San Diego, Calif.
Results: BucknellBison.com
About the Bison
• Bucknell heads west to California for five matches during spring break. The Bison last played in California in 2018 when they also faced UC San Diego and UC Riverside.
• Bucknell has won four of its last six matches, including a 5-2 victory over Saint Joseph's on Saturday.
• Junior Marwan Abaza was named Patriot League Player of the Week for a second straight week on Tuesday. Abaza is 10-2 in singles matches this spring and has played at number one throughout the season. Abaza is also 8-5 in doubles play.
• Freshman Michael Owen has worked his way up to the number two singles spot and sports an 8-3 overall record. He's 4-2 when playing at number two.
• Sophomore Ryan Jurist is 3-2 when playing at number four singles, including a win on Saturday. Jurist is 5-6 in singles overall this spring.
• Bucknell's winningest doubles tandem, Cooper Bradshaw and Owen, are 7-2 together and have won four of their last five.
• Abaza and Jurist have also found successful together in doubles this spring, sporting a 4-2 record at number two.
• Sam Yildirimlar, who's joined the roster at the start of February, picked up his first win on Saturday playing in number six singles.
Scouting the Opponents
• UC Irvine is 4-3 this season and has won four of its last five matches. The Anteaters will compete at the Pacific Coast Doubles Championship this weekend before matching up with the Bison.
• UC San Diego is 9-2 this spring and has won six of its last seven matches. The Tritons will also be competing at the Pacific Coast Doubles Championship and face Ball State prior to their match with Bucknell.
• UC Riverside sits at 12-5 this spring and has won eight consecutive matches.
• East Carolina is 10-2 this spring with wins in each of their last three matches. The Pirates have wins over NJIT and Hofstra, who the Bison went up against at the NJIT Spring Tournament.
• San Diego Mesa is 2-10 this season with wins over Palomar and Imperial Valley.
Up Next
• Bucknell plays at Temple on Sunday, March 15. The Bison faced Temple back on Sept. 22 in a round robin tournament. Cooper Bradshaw highlighted the match with a win in number one singles. The match is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.
Players Mentioned
