LOS ANGELES – The No. 42 University of Hawai`i men's tennis team competes in the 2010 ITA Kick-Off Weekend Jan. 30-31, at the Los Angeles Tennis Center on the campus of UCLA. Joining UH are the host and No. 4 ranked Bruins, No. 17 Pepperdine and No. 37 South Florida.

 

By finishing in the top 60 of the final 2009 Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll the Rainbow Warriors gained an invitation to the Kick-Off Weekend, in essence the qualifying rounds for the 2010 ITA National Team Indoor Championships.

 

UH gained a bid to the UCLA regional, one of 15 sites across the nation. The 15 schools that win both of their matches at the regional will advance to the main draw of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships hosted by the University of Virginia at the Boar's Head Sports Club, Feb. 12-15, 2010.

 

The No. 4 seed Rainbow Warriors will open with top-seeded UCLA in a rematch of the 2009 NCAA second round tilt won by the Bruins. That match will start at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 30. The Rainbow Warriors will then meet either Pepperdine or South Florida on Sunday, Jan. 31. Each team is guaranteed two matches during the weekend.

 

UH is off to a 3-0 start following wins over Saint Mary's, Nevada and UC Santa Barbara. The Bruins, who advanced to the national semifinals last year, have yet to play this spring with their first two home matches rained out.

 

Who: Hawaii, UCLA, Pepperdine and South Florida

When: Jan. 30-31

Where: Los Angeles Tennis Center on the campus of UCLA

Schedule: Saturday, Jan. 30 - South Florida vs. Pepperdine, 9:00 a.m.; Hawai`i vs. UCLA, 12:00 p.m.; Sunday, Jan. 31 – Losers bracket 10:00 a.m.; Winners bracket, 1:00 p.m.