May 11, 2003
SAN DIEGO -- The 16th-seeded and 12th-ranked Washington tennis team won four of six singles matches to rally for a 4-3 victory over 29th-ranked San Diego State in the second round of the 2003 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships at the SDSU Courts on Sunday afternoon.
The Aztecs won the doubles point and led 2-1 before the Huskies won three of the final four singles matches capped by Dillon Ruby's 6-3, 6-3 victory at number five singles. The win moves Washington into the NCAA third round for the third consecutive year while denying the Aztecs their second trip to the round of 16.
"I honestly felt we were going to win the match," San Diego State coach John Nelson said. "Championship caliber teams make big plays when they need to and Washington did that today. They played better today and they deserved to win."
The Aztecs won two of the three doubles matches to claim the first point of the match. San Diego State received an 8-2 victory at number one doubles with second-ranked Oliver Maiberger and Ryan Redondo defeating 37th-ranked Ari Strasberg and Alex Vlaski, 8-2. Washington countered with a win at number two fro Matt Hanlin and Dillon Ruby. The Huskie duo recorded an 8-6 victory over Daniel Jung and Armando Carrascosa. That turned the attention to number three doubles where SDSU's Felix Hardt and Gabe Coren pulled out an 8-6 win over Christoph Palmanshofer.
The teams traded victories in the first three singles matches. Washington tied the score when Palmanshofer defeated Jung 6-0, 6-4 at number four. The Aztecs countered at number three when Hardt won his 12th straight singles match, a 6-4, 6-3 win over Fred Sundsten. The Huskies tied the team score at two when 28th-ranked Hanlin disposed of Redondo, 6-2, 7-6 (1) at number two.
Minutes later Washington took its first lead of the afternoon when Scarler defeated Coren, 6-3, 6-2, at number six singles. The Aztecs evened the score when 42nd-ranked Oliver Maiberger, a four-time All-American, upset 10th-ranked Vlaski at number one singles, 6-2, 6-3. The loss was just the fourth defeat for Vlaski in a dual match this season.
That made number five singles the deciding match, with Ruby sending Washington home a winner with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Carrascosa.
Washington improved to 18-5 overall and will face top-ranked and top-seeded Illinois in the round of 16. The Aztecs end the 2003 campaign with a 16-10 record.
Final Score: (12) Washington 4, (29), San Diego State 3
Start Time: 12:09 p.m. PDT Temperature: 78 degreesLength of Match: Weather: Sunny and calmDOUBLES WASHINGTON SAN DIEGO STATE SCORE No. 1 (37) Ari Strasberg/Alex Vlaski (2) Oliver Maiberger/Ryan Redondo SD, 8-2 No. 2 Matt Hanlin/Dillon Ruby Daniel Jung/Armando Carrascosa UW, 8-6 No. 3 Christoph Palmanshofer/Pete Scharler Felix Hatdt/Gabe Coren SD, 8-6Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3
SINGLES WASHINGTON SAN DIEGO STATE SCORE No. 1 (10) Alex Vlaski (42) Oliver Maiberger SD, 6-2, 6-3 No. 2 (28) Matt Hanlin Ryan Redondo UW, 6-2, 7-6 (1) No. 3 Fred Sundsten Felix Hardt SD, 6-4, 6-3 No. 4 Christoph Palmanshofer Daniel Jung UW, 6-0, 6-4 No. 5 Dillon Ruby Armando Carrascosa UW, 6-3, 6-3 No. 6 Pete Scharler Gabe Coren UW, 6-3, 6-2Order of Finish: 4, 3, 2, 6, 1, 5Number to the left of player name indicates current national ranking.