March 27, 2006
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Women's Tennis Weekly Release in PDF Format
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SDSU Women's Tennis Takes On Harvard In Lone Match Of The Week
San Diego State (11-5; 2-1 Mountain West Conference), winners of eight of its last nine, takes a brief break from its MWC schedule when it plays host to 19th-ranked Harvard on Wednesday, March 29. The lone match of the week for SDSU is set for a 2 p.m. PST start at Aztec Tennis Center.
The 36th-ranked Aztecs enter Wednesday's match having gone 2-1 in Las Vegas, Nev., March 24-26, to begin league action. SDSU defeated unranked Utah, 6-1, in the conference lidlifter and followed it with a 4-3 upset victory over No. 23 Brigham Young. Unfortunately, San Diego State could not take advantage of winning the doubles point against 63rd-ranked UNLV, as it fell to the Rebels, 5-2.
Following this week's contest, the Aztecs will not return to action until April 7-9 when it welcomes MWC opponents Air Force, Colorado State and Wyoming to ATC.
Eight-Match Winning Streak
San Diego State's recent eight-match winning streak was the school's longest since the 2003 season. That squad also posted eight straight victories en route to a 22-6 record, the MWC Championship title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Ironically, that team started MWC play with a 2-0 record and similar to this year's squad, had its winning streak snapped by UNLV in Las Vegas. Following the loss to the Rebels in 2003, the Aztecs lost only once more before losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Nice Win
Dita Hauerlandova put the finishing touches on the Aztecs' win over Brigham Young on March 25 when she defeated No. 18 Olga Boulytcheva in three sets, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, at No. 1. The win not only gave San Diego State the match, 4-3, it represented the senior's first win over a nationally-ranked opponent during her two-plus seasons at SDSU.
Strong Play at No. 3...
Eliska Krausova recently had her nine-match winning streak snapped, but has won nine of her last 10 matches. Krausova, who plays the majority of the time at No. 3 singles, currently is 12-2 at the position with her only losses coming at Long Beach State and at UNLV. For the season, the sophomore is 12-4 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)).
...And at No. 6
Esther Cadua boasts an 11-5 overall record and is 10-3 at No. 6 for the season. The freshman from San Diego has played well all season long recording winning streaks of at least four matches twice this year. Earlier this season, Cadua had a five-match winning streak snapped when she dropped a three-set decision against N.C. State.
Yusupov Hitting Her Stride
Milana Yusupov is playing at a high level as evidenced by her six-match winning streak. The freshman has played at Nos. 3-5 this season with most of her appearances occurring at No. 4 where she is an impressive 10-4. In her first collegiate campaign, she boasts an overall mark of 11-5, tied for the second-best record on the team.
Doubles Advantage
Winning the doubles point has been a measure of success for the Aztecs as they have gone 7-1 when winning the doubles point this season. On the flip side, San Diego State is an average 4-4 when dropping the doubles point.
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 powered through its opponents en route to a 7-2 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 12-4 record, while winning nine of her last 10 matches. Freshman Esther Cadua is 11-5 overall with an 10-3 mark at No. 6, while classmate Milana Yusupov is 11-5 in her first season and owns a six-match winning streak of her own. Sophomore Sisse Nielsen, who had a great fall, has won six of her last seven and is 9-6 in the spring. Altogether, the underclassmen have a singles record of 43-20. In doubles, the quartet has played at all three positions with different partners over the course of the season.
A Look at Harvard
Harvard is 8-5 on the season and is ranked No. 19 in the ITA poll released March 21. The Crimson have lost two narrow matches in a row to nationally-ranked TCU, 4-3, and William & Mary, 5-2. Harvard is led by its pair of ranked singles players in No. 70 Melissa Anderson and No. 85 Elsa O'Riain. The two just also happen to be the nation's fourth-ranked doubles team with an overall record of 26-5. Before heading to San Diego, Harvard will first visit Fresno State on Monday, March 27.
Historically Speaking
San Diego State and Harvard have met twice before with each school winning once. The Aztecs won the most recent meeting back in 1997 by a 5-4 score. That year, the Crimson was ranked No. 26 with the match being played in San Diego. Harvard won the first meeting, 5-4, on March 28, 1996, also in San Diego.
Against teams in the Ivy League, the Aztecs have a 19-2 record since the beginning of the 1994 season.
Last Time Out
San Diego State opened Mountain West Conference play this past weekend winning two of three matches and saw its eight-match winning streak come to an end.
In the league opener, the Aztecs defeated Utah behind the strength of a doubles sweep to earn the point and then won five of six singles matches to complete the 6-1 rout.
The next day against Brigham Young, SDSU started off on the wrong foot by losing the doubles point. But as it had on three previous occasions, the Aztecs fought back to tie the score at three apiece before senior Dita Hauerlandova beat No. 18 Olga Boulytcheva in three sets to give San Diego State its eighth straight win.
Unfortunately, SDSU's streak came to a halt as it dropped a 5-2 decision to UNLV. The Aztecs won the doubles point, but only managed to win one match in singles play giving the victory to the host school.
Closing in on 200
Head coach Peter Mattera is closing in on the 200-win plateau with 198 career victories. Mattera, in his 13th season on Montezuma Mesa, currently has a record of 198-120 with this season being his 11th with double digit victories. In his previous 12 years, the Aztecs have never finished outside of the ITA rankings and only twice has SDSU not finished the season with a record of .500 or better. Adding to his already impressive resume is the fact that he has guided eight Aztec teams to the NCAA Tournament.
Climbing the Polls
At the beginning of March, the Aztecs were the No. 54 team in the nation and defeated unranked Idaho, No. 38 Washington and No. 36 Oregon. As a result of those three wins, the ITA moved SDSU up 14 spots to No. 40 the following week and promptly beat 38th-ranked North Carolina State and Wisconsin. Following two more victories, SDSU moved up to 29th nationally in the poll released March 14. That ranking is the Aztecs' best since being ranked No. 25 last season after defeating No. 28 Michigan and No. 8 Washington in consecutive matches. The latest poll released March 21 has San Diego State tabbed 36th.
MWC Serves Up Player Of The Week Honors For Vidov
Junior Alesya Vidov was been named Mountain West Conference Women's Tennis Player of the Week, the league office announced March 9. Vidov garnered her first career award on the strength of her performance in a pair of dual matches against Idaho and No.38 Washington.
In the Aztecs' 7-0 shutout of Idaho on March 3, Vidov and Eliska Krausova teamed up to defeat Idaho's Kareen Konishi and Efrat Leopold, 8-5, at the No. 2 doubles spot. Later in singles action, Vidov recorded a straight-set win over the Vandals' Mariel Tinnierello, 6-3, 6-2, at the No. 2 position.
Vidov continued her strong play the following day as the Moscow, Russia, native helped the scarlet and black pull off an upset of No. 38 Washington on March 4. Against the Huskies, Vidov once again combined with Krausova as the Aztec pair routed UW's Tara Simpson and Monika Kolbovic, 8-1, helping SDSU clinch the crucial point in doubles competition. In singles play, Vidov capped off an impressive weekend, rallying from an early deficit to upend the Huskies' Victoria Brymer in a three-set battle, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3).
Aztecs At Home
Since Aztec Tennis Center (ATC) opened last season, San Diego State has recorded a 13-4 record at home. So far this season, SDSU has been tough on opponents at home boasting a record of 7-1. Its only blemish came against fourth-ranked USC in February. With the win against No. 36 Oregon, No. 38 North Carolina State and No. 67 UC Irvine, the Aztecs are 3-1 this season and 8-4 overall against teams ranked in the ITA poll.