LA MIRADA, Calif.--Step number one on the road map to a successful tennis trip for the Hawai`i Hilo Vulcans was accomplished on Friday afternoon with a 4-0 win over Biola at the Biola Tennis Center.

The Vulcans picked up the doubles point and singles wins from Joshua Liu, Luca Matheiowetz and Alessio Demichelis for the "clinch" victory. UH Hilo improved to 2-1 with the win while the Eagles fell to 2-3. It was the first of four matches in five days for the Vulcans in southern California against quality competition.

Next for #20 UH Hilo is a Saturday match-up with #8 Azusa Pacific. 

UHH picked up the doubles point with wins on the first two courts. Martin Soukal and Demichelis won 6-3 over Alexei Prokopchuk and Antonio Varona, right after Luca Checchia and Santiago Di Loreto had won at No. 2 doubles over Biola's Isaac Cordova and Alex Sedeno, 6-2. The Eagles won on court three, but the team point belonged to the Vulcans.

In singles play, Demichelis improved to 3-0 on the year, making quick work of Varona on court two, 6-4, 6-1. Joshua Liu was the next UHH victor on court six, winning 6-4, 6-0, and Matheiowetz clinched with a win on court five, 6-3, 7-5.

Soukal (court one) and Checchia (court three) had both split sets and were up 2-1 in the third set when the team match finished. Di Loreto was a game away from winning his match at No. 4 when the team score was clinched. 

"It was a good win for us, Biola is very solid," Vulcan coach Kallen Mizuguchi said after the match. "Now we have a short turnaround before playing a very good Azusa Pacific team."

The Vulcans and Cougars are scheduled to play at 2:30 on Saturday at the Munson and Bavougian Tennis Complex on the APU campus.
  Biola Tennis Center, La Mirada, Calif.

Singles competition
1. Martin Soukal (UHH) vs. Alexei Prokopchuk (BU), 3-6, 7-5, 2-1, UNF.
2. Alessio Demichelis (UHH) def. Antonio Varona (BU), 6-4, 6-1.
3. Luca Checchia (UHH) vs. Sebastian Herrera (BU), 4-6, 6-4, 2-1, UNF.
4. Santiago Di Loreto (UHH) vs. Isaac Cordova (BU), 7-5, 5-3, UNF.
5. Luca Matheiowetz (UHH) def. Alex Sedeno (BU), 6-3, 7-5.
6. Joshua Liu (UHH) def. Andres Meneses (BU), 6-4, 6-0.
Singles order of finish: 2-6-5

Doubles competition
1. Soukal/Demichelis (UHH) def. Prokopchuk/Varona (BU), 6-4
2. Checchia/Di Loreto (UHH) def. Cordova/Sedeno (BU), 6-2.
3. Erik Martinez/Varona (BU) def. Chun En Wu/Liu (UHH), 7-5. 
Doubles order of finish: 2-1-3

Records: No. 20 UH Hilo 2-1, Biola 2-3