LOS ANGELES—The No. 2 seeded UCLA Bruins closed out the Idaho men's tennis team's season on Saturday at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. The Vandals went toe-to-toe with Bruins but were unable to break through on the scoreboard, resulting in a 4-0 defeat.

"I think the battle in our team was there," head coach Abid Akbar noted. "Hats off to UCLA. They are No. 2 in the nation and have a very good shot to win the entire tournament. Four out of five years we have put ourselves to be in this position. They love this moment."

The start of play was pushed back due to morning showers that passed through the UCLA campus. The Bruins did not waste any time once play began, registering the doubles point to open the afternoon. The No. 16 ranked pair of Austin Rapp and Keegan Smith secured the first leg with a 6-2 win over Esteban Santibanez and Lucas Coutinho at No. 2. The Bruins wrapped up the point at with a 6-3 win at No. 1.

Idaho's team of Felipe Fonseca and Guilherme Scarpelli led the Bruins' No. 3 pair 4-3 at the conclusion of the point.

UCLA swept the singles with wins at No. 2, No. 5 and No. 3. No. 81 Evan Zhu picked up the Bruins' first singles point with his 6-1, 6-1 win over Felipe Fonseca. UCLA also got a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 5 to go up 3-0. Smith, ranked No. 56 in the nation, picked up the clincher with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Carlos Longhi Neto.

Senior Mark Kovacs closed out his Idaho career on Saturday. He had the challenge of taking on the No. 1 player in the nation, Martin Redlicki. Kovacs played Redlicki tight in the first set and got out to a 4-3 lead. Redlicki closed out the set 6-4 and held a 5-2 lead when the match was stopped. Kovacs leaves Idaho as the programs' all-time leader in wins with 97.

"Mark is a tough competitor," Akbar added. "Guys like him do not come around very often. He gave the No. 1 guy in the nation a run for his money. What a great way to end his career."

Scarpelli was one of the highlights for the Vandals in singles. The Idaho sophomore split sets with No. 103 Logan Staggs at the No. 4 position. Staggs got the upper hand in the first with a 6-3 win. Scarpelli bounced back in the second with a 6-3 showing of his own. The match was stopped at the start of the third.

The Vandals finish 15-8 on the season, advancing to their fourth NCAA Tournament in the last five seasons. Idaho will look for its third straight Big Sky championship next season with a majority of the roster returning. Senior Felipe Fonseca joins Kovacs as the only other departure.