URBANA, Ill. - California men's tennis came out strong in its NCAA opening round of 64 match against Drake on Friday, with the 24th-ranked Golden Bears efficiently topping the Bulldogs, 4-1, at the University of Illinois' Atkins Tennis Center. Cal junior Bjorn Hoffmann clinched the victory with a straight-set win over Ben Clark at court-six singles, to set up the Bears' second-round match against the host and 15th-seeded Illini on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT.

Cal improved its record to 15-12 with Friday's win, while Drake ended its season with a 19-14 record.

The Bears took a 1-0 lead over the Bulldogs when they won the doubles point, with the sophomore duo of Ben Draper and Jack Molloy beating Calum MacGeoch and Ben Clark, 6-3, on court three to capture the point.
 
Yuta Kikuchi continued his impressive freshman season when he defeated Vinny Gillespie, 6-3, 6-2, at court-one singles to give Cal a 2-0 lead.
 
MacGeoch slowed the Bears' momentum somewhat when he topped Draper, 6-2, 6-4, on court four, making Cal's lead 2-1.
 
But another young Bear – sophomore Jacob Brumm – put Cal back on track with a 6-3, 6-1 triumph over Barny Thorold on court five, and then Hoffmann won 7-6(4), 6-1 over Clark to wrap up Cal's win.
 
"We got off to a great start in the doubles, and our guys were confident going into the singles," said Peter Wright, Cal's Director of Men's Tennis. "The Drake players brought some high-quality tennis and energy today, and I feel we responded well to the challenge. Because of the rain the last two days, this was our first opportunity to play on the outdoor courts, and we had to make some adjustments.

"Overall, a strong start for our team, and we're going to be playing a tough Illinois team that hasn't lost many matches at home this year. We're excited to be in this position."