May 1, 2002
SAN DIEGO - Despite winning the Mountain West Conference tournament and earning an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, the San Diego State men's tennis team slipped one position to No. 29 in the Omni Hotels Collegiate Tennis Rankings released by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association on Wednesday. The Aztec women's team, which lost in the championship match of the conference tournament last weekend, moved up two positions to No. 26 in the poll.
Both teams will learn their postseason fate tomorrow when the NCAA announces the 64-team field for both the men's and women's championship. The NCAA committee will also reveal the 16 schools that will play host to the tournament's first and second rounds May 10-12.
The Aztec men, which received an automatic berth by claiming the conference championship last weekend in Las Vegas, are in the postseason for the fourth time in five seasons. The men's bracket will be announced at 3:30 p.m. PDT on a selection show which is available over the Internet at www.ncaachampionships.com.
The women will learn their fate tomorrow during the women's selection show which starts at 4 p.m. PDT. That show is also available over the Internet at the NCAA site. The Aztec women have played in 15 of the previous 20 NCAA team championships.
Individual rankings were also released on Wednesday. Junior Oliver Maiberger, the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, is ranked 26th in singles and teams with sophomore Ryan Redondo to form the third-ranked doubles duo nationally. The Aztecs second doubles team of sophomore Felix Hardt and junior Valentino Pest is rated 52nd this week.
On the women's side, junior Silvia Tornier, winner of seven straight matches, moved up to No. 69 in the most recent ranking.