IRVINE, Calif.—University of Hawai'i men's tennis player Axel Labrunie earned his first career Big West Player of the Week award after helping lead the Rainbow Warriors to four-straight wins on the road last week in Las Vegas, Nev.. Labrunie recorded a perfect 4-0 record in doubles with partner Kilian Maitre while going 2-0  in singles.
 
UH's No. 2 doubles pairing of Labrunie and Maitre mowed through their opponents last week. The French duo began the week with a 6-2 win over host UNLV's Anton Ornberg and Jackson Atherton, 6-2 and then blanked UC Riverside's Daniel Velek and Ryan Huynh, 6-0 to complete their Friday doubleheader. Labrunie and Maitre followed with a 6-2 victory over Weber State's Jordan Coutinho and William Zulch.
 
Against New Mexico State, Labrunie clinch both the doubles point and later the match. Labrunie and Maitre edged out New Mexico State's Corey Clarke and Roko Stipetic in a tie-breaker, 7-6 (5) to capture the doubles point as UH took a 1-0 lead. Playing on the No. 2 court, Labrunie then defeated NMSU's Jordy Visser in straight sets to seal the win, 6-4, 6-2. Labrunie's other singles win was a 6-1, 6-3 victory over UNLV's Dabic Milos at No. 2.

After starting the season 0-3 against high-powered teams, Hawai'i swung the momentum pendulum completely in the the opposite direction winning all four matches last week to record an overall record of 4-3.

The Rainbow Warriors have earned two of the first three  Big West Player of the Week honors for 2023 as Andre Ilagan took home the award in Week 1.

2023 Big West Player of the Week Awardees
Andre Ilagan - Jan. 18, 2023
Axel Labrunie - Feb. 1, 2023