March 7, 2006
SAN DIEGO -
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Aztec Tennis Looks To Extend Winning Streak Against North Carolina State and Wisconsin
No. 40 San Diego State (7-4), winners of four straight, looks to extend its winning streak as it plays host to 38th-ranked North Carolina State, Thursday, March 9, and Wisconsin, Monday, March 13. Match time against the Wolfpack is set for 2 p.m. PST, while the Aztecs-Badgers contest is slated for noon PST at Aztec Tennis Center. This will be the last tuneup for SDSU before Mountain West Conference play opens March 24 in Las Vegas, Nev., against Utah.
The Aztecs are coming off a week where they finished 3-0 after a shutout, 7-0, win over Idaho in Seattle, Wash., on March 3. The next day at No. 38 Washington, SDSU won the doubles point en route to a 5-2 upset victory. Then to close out the week, San Diego State upset another Pac-10 Conference member in No. 36 Oregon, 4-3, on March 6.
Following this week's matches, the Aztecs will take a week off for spring break before opening league play in Las Vegas from March 24-26 where they will take on Utah, Brigham Young and UNLV on successive days.
Two Pac
With wins over nationally-ranked Washington and Oregon this past week, SDSU recorded consecutive wins over Pac-10 competition for the first time since the 2003 campaign. That season, the Aztecs defeated then 41st-ranked Washington State, 4-3, on March 8, 2003, and then beat then 38th-ranked Oregon by the same 4-3 mark (April 18). Both matches took place in San Diego. The win at Washington this past Saturday represented the first road victory over a Pac-10 school since SDSU beat UW, 6-3, on Feb. 22, 1997.
Five Straight
Eliska Krausova and Esther Cadua both sport five-match winning streaks heading into the N.C. State match and have performed at a high level all year. Krausova, who plays the majority of the time at No. 3 singles currently is 8-1 at the position with her only loss coming at Long Beach State on Feb. 2. For the season, the sophomore is 8-3 with her other two losses coming at No. 2 against opponents who were ranked inside the top-20 nationally at match time (No. 3 Amanda Fink (USC) and No. 19 Suzi Fodor (California)).
Cadua, like Krausova, boasts an 8-1 record at No. 6 and is 9-2 on the season. Her only two losses have come against California at No. 6 and vs. USC at No. 5. Most recently, the freshman from San Diego moved up to No. 5 for the Oregon match and battled to win a 6-7, 7-5, 7-6 nailbiter to clinch the victory for SDSU.
Vidov Coming On Strong
Alesya Vidov has been playing some of her best tennis of late, helping the team to its current four-match winning streak. The junior has won three straight, all at No. 2 and is 6-3 in the second slot. Her three-set victory over Anna Powaska of Oregon, gave the Aztecs its first point of the match which proved vital as the afternoon progressed. Her doubles performance has been spectacular all season as she has gone 7-3 with three different partners during the spring.
Krausova-Vidov Connection
After finishing 0-2 in the fall, Eliska Krausova and Alesya Vidov had never played a match this season in the spring together. All that changed vs. No. 67 UC Irvine, when the two were paired against Inna Agababian-Heidi Kaloi. Although the Aztecs lost the doubles point, the move paid dividends as the duo posted an 8-5 win. Ever since then, the tandem has has powered through its opponents en route to a 4-0 record at No. 2.
Underclassmen Contributions
The Aztecs are getting the most out of their underclassmen this season with four currently holding positions in the singles and doubles lineup. The quartet owns a singles record of at least .500 or better with sophomore Eliska Krausova owning an 8-3 record with a current five-match winning streak. Freshman Esther Cadua is 9-2 overall with an 8-1 mark at No. 6, while classmate Milana Yusupov is 6-5 in her first season. Sophomore Sisse Nielsen, who had a great fall, snapped a four-match losing streak and has won two straight with a singles record of 5-5. Altogether, the underclassmen have a singles record of 28-15. In doubles, the quartet has played at all three positions with different partners over the course of the season.
A Look at the Homestand: North Carolina State and Wisconsin
North Carolina State comes to San Diego with a 9-2 record (0-2 ACC). However, N.C. State will play Penn State on Tuesday, March 7, before taking on SDSU. So far this season, the Wolfpack have gone 2-2 against nationally-ranked teams. Meanwhile, Wisconsin (3-8; 0-1 Big Ten) will spend spring break in San Diego having lost four straight matches. Earlier this season, the Badgers took on MWC member Brigham Young and dropped a 7-0 decision in Madison.
Aztecs At Home
Since Aztec Tennis Center (ATC) opened last season, San Diego State has recorded a 12-4 record at home. So far this season, SDSU has been tough on opponents at home boasting a record of 5-1. Its only blemish came against fourth-ranked USC in February. With the win against No. 36 Oregon and No. 67 UC Irvine, the Aztecs are 2-1 this season and 7-4 overall against teams ranked in the ITA poll.