May 25, 2003
SAN DIEGO - Oliver Maiberger and Ryan Redondo will play for the NCAA Doubles Championship and San Diego State's first NCAA tennis championship on Monday in Athens, Ga. The second-seeded Aztec pair advanced to the national championship match on Sunday with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over fourth-seeded Scott Lipsky and David Martin of Stanford.
Maiberger, a five-time All-American, and Redondo, a two-time All-American, will face ninth-ranked Rajeev Ram and Brian Wilson of Illinois in Monday's final at 2:30 p.m. EDT. The pair, who helped the Illini to the team national championship last Tuesday, knocked off top-ranked Richard Baker and William Baker of Rice, 7-6 (1), 7-5, in the semifinal.
"In an important match like this it's always important to win the first set while everyone is a little nervous," Maiberger said. "When you win the first you can get back to your game. (Playing for a national title) is something special, but when you think about you just play it as another match. We've played for a national title at the national indoors two years ago."
Maiberger and Redondo are going for their second career grand slam title. The pair won the 2001 Omni Hotels National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships in Farmers Branch, Texas, to claim the first grand slam title in school history.