The last time the UCLA men’s tennis team played Baylor to a tense 4-3 win in Waco, Tex., the Bears’ season took a drastic turn. In the month after the match, Baylor tumbled from No. 9 to No. 31 before climbing back to be the fifth seed in the NCAA Championships.

When the Bruins, who are coming off a dramatic second-round win over Ole Miss, take on Baylor today in the NCAA Tournament Round of 16 in Palo Alto, they will look to bury the Bears with another loss and end their season.

“We have nothing to lose,” senior Amit Inbar said. “They are the No. 5 seed and we are coming in as an underdog, which is a position we like.”

UCLA’s last meeting with Baylor was an incredibly even match. Baylor took the doubles point before the Bruins rattled off four victories in singles play to take the match. The Bruins clinched the match behind a three-set win from freshman Clay Thompson, and will look to duplicate their previous result, this time with the season on the line.

“It certainly gives us some confidence going into this match, knowing that we already beat them earlier this year,” coach Billy Martin said. “I don’t want to put too much emphasis on that match, though, because every match is different.”

UCLA barely made it to the Round of 16, just winning a match with Ole Miss on Saturday at the Los Angeles Tennis Center in which the Bruins were down 3-1 before three-set victories from Inbar, senior Holden Seguso and freshman Daniel Kosakowski pushed the team past the Rebels.

“It was a great win for us,” Inbar said. “We have great momentum on our side and are excited to take on Baylor.”

The Bruins will take on a Bears team led by senior John Peers, who is ranked No. 19 in the nation and was victorious over Kosakowski, UCLA’s No. 1 player, in an epic three-set encounter in their previous meeting. Peers is also part of the nation’s No. 5-ranked doubles team, along with Roberto Maytin.

Furthermore, the Bears’ lineup boasts three other singles players who are ranked in the top 100 in the nation in No. 68 Sergio Ramirez, No. 97 Luis Grangeiro and No. 98 Dennis Lengsfeld.

Despite having to play a tough foe, UCLA is confident in its chances and is ready to go.

“Everyone is healthy and going full steam ahead. There are no excuses. We are both good teams and have had good years, so it should be a great match,” Martin said.

The team’s seniors, who are playing in their final postseason, have extra incentive to play well.

“It’s kind of a shock for me to think that this is my last NCAAs,” Seguso said. “We are going to give everything we have and win or lose, we are going to be fighting for every point.”