Redlicki, Zhu Headline Four Pac-12 Honorees
June 14, 2017 | Men's Tennis
SAN FRANCISCO – The UCLA men's tennis duo of junior Martin Redlicki and freshman Evan Zhu was announced as the Pac-12 Doubles Team of the Year by the conference office Tuesday, giving the program seven recipients of the award and two in a row. All-Pac-12 honors were also handed out, as Redlicki was named a First-Team member, while Zhu was joined by senior Gage Brymer on the Second Team. Junior Logan Staggs rounded out the list of Bruin honorees with an Honorable Mention selection.
In its first season as a tandem, the team of Redlicki and Zhu posted an overall record of 21-5, including a 17-3 mark in dual-match play. The pair clinched seven doubles points on the season, including the decisive winner over the Texas A&M duo of No. 9 AJ Catanzariti and Arthur Rinderknech in the NCAA Round of 16. That win marked the Bruin pair's eighth win over a nationally-ranked opponent, against three losses. This is the second Doubles Team of the Year honor for Redlicki, who earned the award alongside Mackenzie McDonald in 2016.
Redlicki was also honored individually Tuesday, as he garnered the second straight All-Pac-12 First Team selection of his career. The Boca Raton, Fla. native went 29-9 on the season, including a 22-4 mark in dual-match play. Redlicki also earned a conference-best three Pac-12 Player of the Week nods. His final honor came following his win over USC's Nick Crystal, which clinched the Pac-12 regular-season title for the Bruins (April 21).
In his debut season, Zhu registered a 16-10 overall record (13-9 in dual-match play). The Irvine, Calif. native was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week on April 10 after he dispatched Stanford's David Wilczynski to clinch a 4-2 win over the No. 19 Cardinal. The victory marked the first of five in a row for Zhu.
Brymer, who was named the ITA Southwest Region Senior Player of the Year on May 16, provided a steadying influence for the Bruins as their primary Court 1 player. He capped his career with a 21-11 overall record, including a 10-7 mark in dual-match play. Brymer tallied nine wins against nationally-ranked foes, including three that were slotted among the top 40 players by Oracle/ITA. The Irvine, Calif. native reached a career-high No. 10 in the rankings on Feb. 21.
It was a breakout season for Staggs, who posted a 21-4 overall record that included a 19-2 mark in dual matches. The Tracy, Calif. native went a combined 15-0 on Courts 3 and 4 and is riding a 14-match winning streak. Over a period during late March and early April, Staggs posted the clinching point in three of four matches, including a dramatic 7-6 (3), 6-7 (5), 6-4 win over Jayson Amos of Oregon on April 1.
Pac-12 Singles Player of the Year – Tom Fawcett, Stanford
Pac-12 Doubles Team of the Year – Martin Redlicki and Evan Zhu, UCLA
Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year – Brandon Holt, USC
Pac-12 Coach of the Year – Nils Schylander, ORE
ALL-PAC-12
FIRST TEAM
Tom Fawcett Jr. STAN
Andre Goransson Sr. CAL
Brandon Holt Fr. USC
Florian Lakat Sr. CAL
Thomas Laurent So. ORE
Martin Redlicki Jr. UCLA
SECOND TEAM
Filip Bergevi Sr. CAL
Gage Brymer Sr. UCLA
Nick Crystal Sr. USC
Jake Douglas Jr. WASH
Billy Griffith Jr. CAL
Logan Smith Jr. USC
Mitch Stewart Jr. WASH
Evan Zhu Fr. UCLA
Honorable Mention: Jayson Amos, ORE; Jack Jaede, USC; Sameer Kumar, STAN; Dan Little, UTAH; David Micevski, UTAH; Logan Staggs, UCLA; Akihiro Tanaka, ORE; David Wilcynski, STAN.
Players Mentioned
