May 17, 2000
2000 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
MAY 20-28
DAN MCGILL TENNIS COMPLEX
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
ATHENS, GA.
AZTECS IN ATHENS
The San Diego State men's tennis team, under the direction of seventh year head coach John Nelson, will be making its first-ever appearance in the Sweet 16 when the Aztec travel to Athens, Ga., for the 2000 NCAA Men's Tennis Championships, May 20-28.
SDSU (17-7), currently ranked No. 31 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), will do battle with 19th-ranked Virginia Commonwealth (24-4) in the third round at 8 a.m. (EDT) Saturday. Should the Aztecs advance, they would met the winner of No. 10 LSU (20-5) versus No. 4 Illinois (24-3) in Sunday's quarterfinals.
Saturday's meeting between VCU and SDSU will be the first between the two schools. San Diego State has also never faced LSU. The Aztecs are 0-1 versus Illinois.
THE ROAD TO ATHENS
San Diego State earned its trip to the round of 16 with victories over No. 30 Washington, 4-3, and No. 8 Pepperdine, 4-2, in regional play at Malibu, Calif.
Freshman Oliver Maiberger ran his singles winning streak to 20 with a come-from-behind win at No. 2 singles to lift SDSU to a 4-3 win over No. 30 Washington (15-9) in the first round. The Huskies captured the doubles point and jumped out to an early 1-0 lead before the Aztecs came roaring back in singles, taking four of the six positions to secure the win. The victory marked the second straight year that SDSU advanced to a regional final. It was the first time this season, however, that SDSU had come back to win a dual match after losing the doubles point.
Freshman Valentino Pest posted a come-from-behind win over Sebastien Graeff at No. 3 singles to lift San Diego State to a 4-2 upset over No. 8 Pepperdine in the second round. The Aztecs opened the regional final by taking the doubles point, 2-1, behind wins in the No. 1 and 2 positions. Pepperdine (24-3) picked up wins at the No. 5 and 6 singles spots but were never able to take the lead as SDSU continued its season-long roll at the top of the lineup with wins at No. 1, 2 and 3.
ANOTHER WINNING CAMPAIGN
With their wins at Pepperdine over the weekend, the Aztecs assured themselves of a second straight top-35 finish. SDSU, which slipped from 26th to 31st in the May 10 Intercollegiate Tennis Association team rankings after falling in the MWC Tournament final, posted a 15-6 record in a year ago and were ranked No. 35 in the final ITA poll.
The 2000 season marks SDSU's third consecutive 15-win campaign. The Aztecs' 17 wins are the most ever by a John Nelson-coached SDSU squad and the most at the school since the team went 18-4 in 1993.
AZTECS HOT DOWN THE STRETCH
No team, at least in the West, was hotter over the final six weeks of the year than the Aztecs.
San Diego State heads to Athens with wins in 11 of its last 12 contests and 14-of-16 dating to March 3.
The Aztecs won eight in a row to close out the regular season and were in the midst of a nine-match winning streak before being upset by New Mexico in the Mountain West Conference Tournament final in Albuquerque, N.M.
Seven of SDSU's 17 wins this year have come via shutout.
MWC TOURNAMENT RECAP
San Diego State, which entered the inaugural MWC Men's Tennis Championship as the top seed, had a somewhat disappointing showing, placing second after suffering a 4-1 upset by New Mexico in the final.
After first-round bye and the Aztecs easily got past BYU, 4-1, to reach the championship match.
SDSU IN THE ITA RANKINGS
If you're wondering San Diego State hasn't popped up on many radars untill this week you need not look any farther than the March 8 ITA poll when SDSU was not ranked. The Aztecs, who were ranked No. 37 in the preseason, were without the services of its top three players to open the season and got off to a slow start, dropping them out of the poll. A March 6 victory over Baylor, however, catapulted SDSU all the way to No. 27. The Aztecs have won 14-of-16 since a March 1 loss to Michigan and have been ranked in the No. 24-31 range.
1999-00 SDSU RANKINGSDate RankingPreseason 37Fall 45Feb. 2 T43Feb. 9 54Feb. 16 NRFeb. 23 NRMarch 1 NRMarch 8 NRMarch 15 27March 22 27March 29 28April 5 29April 12 24April 19 27April 26 28May 3 26May 10 31
INDIVIDUALLY-RANKED AZTECS
San Diego State has two players ranked on the ITA singles chart and one ranked team in doubles. Senior Alex Waske (14-1) is currently ranked No. 37 in singles while freshman Oliver Maiberger (24-1) is No. 73. In doubles Waske and partner Adam Webster (8-2) hold down the No. 37 spot.
DOMINATION AT THE TOP
If there is one area that SDSU has dominated this season it's been the top of the singles lineup. Heading into the NCAA Championships, the Aztecs are a combined 37-7 at the No. 1 and 2 singles positions.
GEORGIA ON MY MIND
In addition to SDSU's team berth in this year's NCAA Tournament, senior Alex Waske and freshman Oliver Maiberger both earned bids to the 2000 NCAA Individual Championships. Both will remain in Athens, Ga., following the team championship for the singles tournament, May 24-26.
SUPER SENIOR
Senior Alex Waske is currently ranked No. 37 and enters NCAA Championships with a 14-1 record, all in SDSU's No. 1 spot. His only loss was to New Mexico's Matt Amgwerd, a match he was forced to retire from after suffering an ankle injury.
An All-Mountain West Conference selection in both singles and doubles in 2000, Waske was also chosen by the league's coaches as the Player of the Year. As if that wasn't enough, Waske was recently tabbed as the Region VII ITA Senior Player of the Year, making him eligible for the ITA's National Senior Player-of-the-Year award.
Waske also picked up a pair of Player-of-the-Week awards this season from the Mountain West Conference.
FANTASTIC FROSH
Freshman Oliver Maiberger heads into the postseason on a roll. Currently the ITA's 73rd-ranked player, Maiberger posted a 24-1 record in 2000, including a perfect 23-0 mark in dual-match play. He is currently riding a 21-match winning streak.
An All-Mountain West Conference honoree in singles, Maiberger is also the MWC's Freshman of the Year.
Maiberger was twice selected as the MWC's Player of the Week.
STREAKING WITH HASSON
Sophomore Travis Hasson, finished the regular season 16-4 in dual match play. He entered the postseason with victories in 14 of his last 16 matches before dropping both contests during regional action.
BREAKING THE 20-WIN PLATEAU
The Aztecs have two 20-match winners in 2000. Freshman Oliver Maiberger leads the way with a 24-1 overall record while sophomore Travis Hasson owns a 21-10 mark on the season.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
SDSU used 22 different doubles combinations during the 1999-00 campaign, including 21 separate teams in dual match play.
SDSU won the doubles point in 14 of 22 matches, including nine of its last 10 duals and 12 of its last 14 to end the regular season.
Maiberger and Hasson led the way in the victory column, posting a 9-2 overall record, including 3-1 at No. 1 and 6-1 at No. 1.
Waske and Webster were nearly as good, going 8-2 on the season in SDSU's top spot.
IN THE CLASSROOM
Going into spring action, the men's tennis team recorded the highest GPA of all sports at SDSU. Alex Waske and Travis Hasson are 2000 GTE Academic Award Nominees and boast GPAs of 3.29 and 3.51, respectively.
UPDATED PLAYER PROFILES
ALEX WASKE
6-2
SENIOR
FRANKFURT, GERMANY
1999-00: The Mountain West Conference and ITA Region VII Player of the Year...Also an All-MWC choice in singles and doubles...Enters the NCAA Championships with a 14-1 record after defeating Washington's Matt Hanlin and Pepperdine's No. 28-ranked Robert Kendrick in straight sets during regional play...Only loss on the season was a second-set default against New Mexico's Matt Amgerd due to an ankle injury...Enters the NCAA Championships ranked No. 37 on the ITA single charts...Is also ranked No. 37 in doubles with partner Adam Webster...Received his highest ranking of the year in April when he was No. 31 in the country...Is currently ranked No. 290 in the world...Earned two Mountain West Conference Player of the Week awards...Defeated Damien Ward of Brigham Young 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 at the MWC Championship...His win helped the Aztecs advance to league final...Played consistently throughout the regular season in the No. 1 position...Biggest win of the year was a three-set victory over then 14th-ranked Johann Jooste of Baylor...Also knocked off No. 42 Peter Luczak of Fresno State in straight sets...All but two of his matches were won in straight sets...Teamed with three different partners in doubles, playing the most with Webster in SDSU's No. 1 position...The duo improved to 8-2 at No. 1 on the season after knocking off Quatrochi and Strasberg of Washington as well as Pepperdine's No. 7-ranked tandem of Graeff and Ross during regional action...The pair also defeated Baylor's then 38th-ranked Jooste/Gajdzik during the regular season...Compiled a 13-2 overall doubles record on the year...Also excels in the classroom with a 3.29 GPA and is a GTE Scholar-Athlete Candidate.
OLIVER MAIBERGER
6-1
FRESHMAN
LORSCH, GERMANY
1999-00: The Mountain West Conference's Freshman of the Year and an All-MWC selection in singles...Joined the team in early January and had a spectacular freshman season...Enters the NCAA Championships riding a 21-match winning streak after defeating Washington's Andy Posavac and Pepperdine's Al Garland during regional play...Posted a perfect 23-0 dual match record on the year and is 24-1 overall...His 24 wins is tops on the team...Is one of three Aztecs to break the 20-win barrier...Dominated the No.1 and 2 slots in both singles and doubles...Ended the regular season ranked No. 67 on the ITA charts and goes tothe NCAA Championships ranked No. 73...Earned two Mountain West Conference Player of the Week awards...Played in the No. 2 spot for conference championships, defeating Brigham Young's Carlos Lozanl...Was 15-0 at No. 2...Also defeated Gert Vilms of Brigham Young 6-7, 6-4, 6-2...Against Fresno State, knocked off No. 25 Andy Scorteanu...Played primarily with Travis Hasson in doubles, going 9-2, but has teamed with Valentino Pest during the postseason...Maiberger and Pest are 4-2 on the year and split their matches in the No. 2 doubles spot during regionals.
VALENTINO PEST
6-0
FRESHMAN
GERCHIN, GERMANY
1999-00: A late arrival at SDSU...Saw limited action in the No. 2 and 3 positions...Played in conference championships in the No. 3 spot, losing both matches...Turned things around at regionals, defeating Washington's Ari Strasberg in straight sets, then posting the match-clinching victory against Pepperdine, coming back from a set down to defeat Sebastien Graeff...Enters the NCAA Championships with a 5-6 record...Had a three-set win over New Mexico's Takeshi Itoh during the regular season...In doubles, paired with Alex Waske to go undefeated in the No. 1 position, 4-0, but has been teamed with Oliver Maiberger during the NCAA Tournament in the No. 2 slot...Pest and Maiberger are 4-2 on the year and split their matches during regionals.
ADAM WEBSTER
5-9
SENIOR
SANTA BARBARA, CALIF.
1999-00: Posted a 13-10 overall record, 11-8 dual match...Had the only win for the Aztecs in the MWC championship match, defeating New Mexico's Michael Polasek at No. 4...Enters the NCAA Championships with victories in nine of his last 11 matches...Saw action in the No. 1-5 spots during the year, seeing the most success at No. 4 where he was 5-3...Defeated all but one region opponent, including a wins over New Mexico's Bart Scott and UNLV's Tyler Roberts...Saw doubles action with five different partners but will team with Alex Waske during the NCAA Championships...The duo registered an 8-2 mark at No. 1...Also teamed with freshman Oliver Maiberger in both the No. 1 and 2 positions to compile a record of 7-2...Owns an 18-5 overall doubles record.
MATT BERE
6-0
JUNIOR
MIDLAND, MICH.
1999-00: Enters the NCAA Championships at 17-11 overall, including a 10-8 dual match record...Has posted victories in six of his last eight matches...Went 1-1 during regional play, including a straight-set win over Washington's Marius Lunde...Played in the No. 5 spot at the MWC tournament, losing to New Mexico's Andrew Irving 6-4, 6-3...Saw action throughout the regular season in the No. 2-6 positions...Had best success at No. 5 where he is 4-2...Won all but two of his matches against regional opponents...Included in his wins was a victory over UNLV's Gregor Skorin 6-7, 6-4, 6-2...Paired with four different partners in doubles, putting together a 4-2 overall record.
TRAVIS HASSON
6-1
SOPHOMORE
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIF.
1999-00: Enters the NCAA Championships with a 21-10 overall record and a 16-6 mark in dual match play...Played in the No. 6 spot throughout both the NCAA Regionals and the MWC tournament...Lost both matches during regional play, but defeated BYU's Jeff Olsen at the MWC Tournament...Is one of only three Aztecs to surpass the 20-win plateau...His 16 dual match wins are also the second most dual victories on the team...Leads the teams in wins at both No. 3, 5-1, and No. 5, 4-2...Won 13 of his last 15 matches to close the regular season...Defeated all regional opponents in straight sets, including a win against Brigham Young's Jeff Harbach...Clinched Aztecs' regular season win over New Mexico with 6-4, 6-1 victory over Nik Yip...In doubles was paired with five different partners, going 17-9...Teamed with Oliver Maiberger to register a 9-2 dual match record in the No.1 and 2 spots, the most doubles wins on the team...He currently is a nominee for 2000 GTE Academic All-America consideration with a 3.51 GPA.
GABE COREN
5-11
SOPHOMORE
SANTA CRUZ, CALIF.
1999-00: Will see action in SDSU's starting doubles lineup at No. 3 with Travis Hasson...The duo is 4-3 on the year...Had solid debut for the Aztecs posting an 11-5 singles record after transferring from Boise State...Went 10-4 in dual match play...Played mostly in the No. 6 position where he was 5-2...Was also 4-0 at No. 4...Ended the season winning 10 of his last 12 singles matches...In doubles, he played with seven different partners, compiling a 10-3 record...Saw his most action with Hasson.
BLAIR O'HARA
5-11
SENIOR
MT. ELIZA, AUSTRALIA
1999-00: Saw limited action in the spring...Appeared in four matches, posting a 2-2 record...Registered an 8-6 overall record on the year...Defeated UC Riverside's Jeff Yao in straight sets 6-1, 6-0...Played with three different double partners on the year, going 1-5 at No. 3.
DAN CASTRO
5-6
JUNIOR
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIF.
1999-00: Played in the No. 3-6 singles positions, ending the spring with an 11-8 overall record...Won eight of his last 10 matches...Had best match against U.S. International, blanking E.J. Grimmer in straight sets 6-0, 6-0...Defeated Brigham Young's David White 7-5, 7-6 (6)...Played with six different doubles partners, posting a 6-6 record.
SHAWN HIATT
6-2
JUNIOR
SANTA MARIA, CALIF.
1999-00: Saw limited action after transferring from Brigham Young...Played in three dual matches, compiling a 2-1 record...Won all but one of his singles matches in straight sets...His two wins came in the No. 5 and 6 positions...His first win came over Point Loma Nazarene's Kyle Hammons 6-2, 6-2...Also defeated UC Riverside's Jerry Lin 6-2, 6-2...In doubles, teamed with Gabe Coren to defeat Point Loma's Hammons/Dames, 8-3, at No. 3.