MORAGA, Calif. - The 73rd-ranked University of Hawai`i men's tennis team closed out its three-match Northern California road swing with a thrilling 4-3 win over No. 59 Saint Mary's Friday at the Korth Tennis Complex. UH improved to 2-3 on the season.

After falling on the wrong end of 4-3 scores in back-to-back matches at Santa Clara and San Francisco, UH finally broke through on the final leg of its trip. UH got swept in doubles competition, but won four of six singles matches to defeat the Gaels (2-4). Sascha Heinemann and Andreas Weber continued their brilliant play at the No. 1 and No. 2 positions, respectively. Heinemann won in straight sets to improve to 13-4 overall and 6-1 in dual matches. Meanwhile, Weber rallied past Andre Sion, in three sets, 2-6, 6-2 7-6 (7-2) in the deciding match of the day. Weber, ranked No. 37 in the FILA Collegiate Singles Rankings, also improved to 13-4 overall and remained undefeated in dual matches at 6-0. Seniors Chad Faulk and Brent Hunter were also victorious in singles play to help lead UH to the win.

The Rainbow Warriors return home and will have a two-week break before taking on Texas A&M (Feb. 28) and Michigan (Mar. 1) in dual matches to be played in Waikoloa, Hawai`i.

No. 73 Hawai'I def. No. 59 St. Mary's, 4-3
Doubles (SMC wins doubles point)
1. Adam Fauvre/Alp Ozpinar (SMC) def. Sascha Heinemann/Andreas Weber 8-6
2. Joel Kusnierz/Achim Christner (SMC) def. Brent Hunter/Jeffrey Fitch 8-2
3. Andre Sion/Andrea Zannoni (SMC) def. Derrick Lajola/Chad Faulk 8-3

Singles (each match worth one team point)
1. Sascha Heinemann def. Joel Kusnierz (SMC) 7-5, 6-4
2. Andreas Weber def. Andre Sion (SMC) 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2)
3. Andrea Zannoni (SMC) def. Derrick Lajola 6-3, 6-0
4. Chad Faulk def. Achim Christner (SMC) 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 6-3
5. Adam Fauvre (SMC) def. Jeff Fitch 6-4, 6-4
6. Brent Hunter def. Alp Ozpinar (SMC) 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5)

-UH-