The Irvine Valley men's tennis team finished the regular season as the second-place team in the Orange Empire Conference and was just the No. 4 seed in the SoCal playoffs.
But with a now healthy roster, the Lasers went on the road and upset No. 1 Ventura, 5-3, on Tuesday.
Irvine Valley won two of three matches in doubles to start and nearly swept.
Sophomores Nick Grove and Luciano Pardo, who won the 3C2A doubles title last season, won 8-4, on the No. 1 court
IVC also got a big 8-3 victory from the No. 2 doubles team of sophomore Luis Moros and freshman Nevin McCann.
The Lasers were so close on the third court, but the team of freshmen Nicholas Villar and Jonathan Hinkel fell, 9-8.
In singles, Grove cruised at No. 1 with a 6-2, 6-3 win.
McCann also finished in straight sets at the No. 6 spot, 6-3, 7-6 to give IVC a 4-1 lead.
The other three courts all went to three sets.
But freshman Lucas Diaz battled back and earned a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 triumph for the Lasers to send the squad off to the regional final.
Irvine Valley improved its record to 11-2 overall. Ventura finished its team season at 14-4.
IVC now travels to rival Riverside on Saturday for the regional final at 2 p.m. with a trip to the state tournament on the line.
Riverside, seeded third, defeated No. 2 Glendale on Tuesday.
The Lasers fell to the Tigers in both OEC matches this season, but both were close and Irvine Valley was without top players.
