IRVINE, Calif.– The Portland State men's tennis team fell to the University of California Irvine 7-0 in a non-conference dual this afternoon.
 
UC Irvine jumped out on top early lead after sweeping the field in doubles action but not before they were tested at the No. 2 spot. Sam Roberts and Tommy Hsu pushed their Anteater opponents to a tiebreaker but ultimately fell 7-6 to give UC Irvine a 1-0 lead.
 
The Anteaters earned six wins in singles action to take the 7-0 victory, including a win at No. 1 singles by the 60^th ranked Bjorm Hoffmann who defeated the Vikings' Matteo Fortini. Needing just one win to become the winningest singles player in program history, Vikings senior Tommy Edwards was unable to hold off Jeremy Merville at No. 2 singles, falling 7-5, 6-4. Nikola Dimitrijevic gave his Anteater opponent a run for his money, but fell 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 in the end.
 
The loss marks the first loss in four matches for the Vikings, dropping them to 7-6 overall. The win improved the Anteaters to 5-4 overall.
 
Portland State will return to action against Point Loma on Friday at 11 a.m.
 
Singles competition
1. #60 Bjorn Hoffmann (UCI) def. Matteo Fortini (PSU) 6-2, 6-3
2. Jeremy Merville (UCI) def. Tommy Edwards (PSU) 7-5, 6-4
3. Mark Peneff (UCI) def. Nikola Dimitrijevic (PSU) 7-6 (7-5), 6-1
4. Mateusz Smolicki (UCI) def. Tommy Hsu (PSU) 6-2, 6-2
5. Mike Mkrtchian (UCI) def. Nils Plutat (PSU) 6-2, 7-5
6. Ali Amiri (UCI) def. Sam Roberts (PSU) 7-5, 6-1
 
Doubles competition
1. Bjorn Hoffmann/Mateusz Smolicki (UCI) def. Tommy Edwards/Matteo Fortini (PSU) 6-4
2. Bruce Man-Son-Hing/Mark Peneff (UCI) def. Tommy Hsu/Sam Roberts (PSU) 7-6 (7-2)
3. Matthew Sah/Jonathan Star (UCI) def. Nikola Dimitrijevic/Bryan Husin (PSU) 6-2