In what should be a classic No. 4 vs. No. 5 playoff match-up, fourth-seeded Irvine Valley hosts fifth-seeded Bakersfield in a California Community College Athletic Association Dual Team Regional first-round contest Tuesday afternoon at 2 p.m.
Irvine Valley enters with a record of 8-1 overall. The Lasers went 7-1 in Orange Empire Conference play and shared the OEC title with Riverside.
The Lasers are led by sophomores Kiichi Ishida and Devon Kashishian and freshman Alyan Ashraf in their lineup.
Irvine Valley was the third seed in 2022 and won its first match over Glendale before losing to No. 1 and eventual state champion College of the Desert in the second round.
Bakersfield comes into the postseason with a record of 8-5 overall and went 2-2 in conference action. Four of its losses are to some of the best teams in the state and the other is against a four-year school.
The Renegades fell to No. 2 Ventura twice in conference play and lost to one of the top teams in Northern California, American River, 5-4. ARC was the state runner-up last season.
Bakersfield's other defeat was to an opponent that Irvine Valley knows well.
The Renegades lost, 5-4, in a match that went down to the wire to No. 3 Riverside on Feb. 21. IVC split contests with RCC during conference play, beating the Tigers, 5-4, on the road and then losing, 8-1 at home.
The winner of Tuesday's match between Irvine Valley and Bakersfield will most likely travel to No. 2 Ventura for the second round on Thursday.
