Jan. 23, 2006
SAN DIEGO -
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San Diego State Opens 2006 With Doubleheader Against UC Riverside and CS Fullerton at Aztec Tennis Center
San Diego State opens its 2006 dual-match season this Sunday, Jan. 29, with a pair of familiar opponents in UC Riverside (0-0) and CS Fullerton (0-0), at Aztec Tennis Center. SDSU's match with UCR is set to get underway at 9 a.m., followed by the CSUF contest at 3 p.m.
A year ago, the Aztecs opened the season with both Big West Conference schools in a doubleheader at nearby Barnes Tennis Center. That day San Diego State posted a 5-2 win over the Highlanders and a 6-1 victory over the Titans.
When the Aztecs take the court against UCR, they will be looking to win their 11th consecutive season opener and their fifth and sixth in a row against members of the Big West.
Big West Domination
Before moving into the Western Athletic Conference and now the Mountain West Conference, San Diego State was once a member of the Big West Conference. During the its time in the Big West, the Aztecs finished first at the conference tournament all three times (`88, `89, `90) and finished in the top 20 nationally each season. Even though SDSU has been out of the Big West for some time, it continues to have success against current members of the league posting a 114-7 record. San Diego State's last loss against a BWC member came on Feb. 28, 2004, when it dropped a 5-2 decision to UC Irvine.
Scouting the Highlanders
UC Riverside returns six letterwinners from last year's team that finished at 8-13 overall and 2-6 in the Big West. The Highlanders are led by senior Casey Cross and sophomore H.R. Espiritu who ended 2005 with singles records of 14-13 and 16-10, respectively. UCR is coached by Mark Henry who is in his 11th year as head coach and 13th overall at the Riverside, Calif., school.
Series History vs. UC Riverside
San Diego State enters its season-opening match with UCR having won its first-ever meeting between the two schools, 5-2, last year. The contest saw the Highlanders win the doubles point behind a pair of victories at Nos. 1 and 3, but the Aztecs took five of the six singles matches to win its 10th straight season lidlifter.
Scouting the Titans
CS Fullerton returns four letterwinners from a team that finished 7-14 last year. The Titans are led by 2005 all-Big West selections, senior Ruya Inalpulat (second team) and junior Gina Le (honorable mention). The pair were also honored by being named to the all-doubles honorable mention squad after posting a 13-3 record (12-2 at No. 2) last season. CSUF, coached by 17-year veteran Bill Reynolds, begins its season with a match at University of San Diego on Monday and follows it up with a conference match versus Cal Poly back in Fullerton on Saturday before heading back to "America's Finest City" for a contest with the Aztecs.
Series History vs. CS Fullerton
CS Fullerton is one of six schools from the Big West that the Aztecs have played and have not lost to (SDSU has never faced UC Davis), winning all 19 meetings between the two Southern California universities. The 19 wins represents the fourth-most against Big West competition and is the second-most against schools SDSU has not lost to (SDSU is 27-0 vs. Long Beach State). This is the second consecutive season in which San Diego State has played CS Fullerton after not playing each other the previous 11 years. Last year, the Aztecs swept doubles play and pocketed five singles victories en route to a 6-1 win.
Aztecs in the Polls
San Diego State is currently ranked No. 47 in the first Fila Collegiate Tennis Rankings, administered by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), released Jan. 10. The next poll will not be released until Jan. 31.
Individually, Dita Hauerlandova finished the fall season ranked as the No. 20 singles player in the West Region. Joining the senior in the rankings was junior Alesya Vidov who landed at the No. 29 spot.
In the doubles poll, Hauerlandova and sophomore Sisse Nielsen ended the fall as the fifth-best doubles tandem in the West according to the ITA.
Mattera on the Mesa
Peter Mattera enters his 25th season at San Diego State and 13th as head coach when the Aztecs take the court on Sunday. In his 12 seasons, he has guided SDSU to eight postseason appearances and to a record of 187-115 (.619). Equally impressive is 10 of his 12 squads have finished with an overall record of. 500 or better.