No. 23 Eagles Soar Over No. 7 Tritons

Box Score IRVINE, Calif. - The red hot Concordia Irvine men's tennis team took on the #7 ranked UC San Diego Tritons winning the battle 4-0.

The Eagles dominated the match the entire way, coming up with huge doubles victories to secure the first point of the match.

Jan Simon and Otto Heinz showed their upperclassmen leadership skills and cruised to a 6-3 victory, while the standout freshman pair of Patrick Wong and Marlon Wilken showed some fight to comeback victorious from a deficit over the Tritons in a close 7-5 battle.

"I am extremely pleased with the way our team competed," said head coach Jonathan Sanchez. "We really raised the bar on our intensity and focus which made all the difference today. We knew that the doubles point was going to play a huge factor in the outcome of today's match. We played well on all three doubles courts but Wong and Wilken really stepped up today to come back from being down in their match to clinch our doubles point. Playing on campus makes such a big difference as well, having support from the students and faculty creates an amazing environment that seems to really bring out the best in our team."

Although the doubles victory gave the Eagles excitement, they were able to stay composed in their singles matches.

Every match that was finished saw the Green and Gold coming out on top. Wong, Wilken, and this week's PacWest Player of the Week, Yassine Smiej showed up and showed out in front of the home Eagle fans.

Each of the three CUI stars have been instrumental in the success of the squad this year and have proven that this Eagles team is built for the big moments.

"Wilken has been the team's rock," said Sanchez. "The energy he brings every time he steps out on the court is unlike anything I have seen. He continues to motivate everyone around him and keeps growing as a player as well. He took care of business today in singles getting us the singles win, which really pushed everyone through their matches."

"Wong really stepped up today in both doubles and singles," added Sanchez. "His composure was outstanding in today's singles match coming back from being down 2-5 in the first set to end up winning the set. He continues to impress me with his maturity on the court."

Smiej has continued to make his mark on the Eagles as the returning PacWest All-Conference selection from the 2019 season and it showed as the Green and Gold fans came out and showed appreciation for the team's hard work with thunderous cheers.

"It felt great to beat UCSD for the second time in a row this season especially now that they are #7 in the nation," noted Smiej. "I'm so proud of representing CUI's colors and also really proud of my team. I would like to also thank all the people who came to support us today it was insane! Individually I'm really proud of myself and on how I played. It was not an easy match because my opponent, but I managed to stay calm and keep my focus to get the clinch for the team."

"Smiej continues to raise his level of play," stated Sanchez. "He is playing with such confidence and has been a reliable competitor for us. He managed to win in straight sets against a very tough opponent and clinching the overall win for us."

The CUI men's tennis team finished the day with a 10-2 overall record. Coach Jonathan Sanchez recently earned career win No. 100 as leader of the Eagles tennis program.

For the full schedule of the Concordia men's tennis team, click here.

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Players Mentioned

Otto Heinz: Senior

Yassine Smiej: Sophomore

Patrick Wong: 5' 9"; Freshman

Marlon Wilken: Freshman

Jan Simon: Junior

Players Mentioned

Otto Heinz
: Senior

Yassine Smiej
: Sophomore

Patrick Wong
: 5' 9"; Freshman

Marlon Wilken
: Freshman

Jan Simon
: Junior

Scoreboard

Concordia Irvine Athletics

No. 23 Eagles Soar Over No. 7 Tritons

Players Mentioned

Otto Heinz

Yassine Smiej

Patrick Wong

Marlon Wilken

Jan Simon

Players Mentioned

Otto Heinz

Yassine Smiej

Patrick Wong

Marlon Wilken

Jan Simon