March 11, 2008
SAN DIEGO -
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SDSU WOMEN'S TENNIS SET TO HOST NO. 30 WAKE FOREST IN LONE MATCH THIS WEEK
The San Diego State women's tennis team (6-6) will continue its three-match homestand by hosting No. 30 Wake Forest on Thursday, March 13, at Aztec Tennis Center. First serve is set for 2 p.m. PT.
Last week, the Scarlet and Black snapped a two-match losing streak with a 4-3 victory over visiting University of Pennsylvania. SDSU started off on a rough note as Penn claimed the doubles point after taking matches at the top and bottom of the doubles ladder. San Diego State, however, was able to avoid the sweep after Holly Bagshaw and Eliska Krausova recorded their fourth straight win together by pulling out a 9-8(3) decision over Maria Anisimova and Charlotte Tansill at the No. 2 spot.
The Aztecs evened the match at 1-1 when Esther Cadua cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 triumph over Michelle Mitchell at the fifth position, but Penn quickly regained the lead as Ekaterina Kosminskaya upset No. 86 Julia Trunk at the top spot, 6-3, 6-1. SDSU went on to take a 3-2 advantage, thanks to a pair of three-set victories from Bagshaw and Krausova, before the Quakers knotted the score once again with a win at No. 4. All eyes then turned to the final match on court six where Sisse Nielsen outlasted Lauren Sadaka, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, to clinch the match for the Aztecs.
SCOUTING THE DEMON DEACONS
Wake Forest (5-5) opened Atlantic Coast Conference play with two wins last weekend. On Saturday, March 8, the Demon Deacons won the doubles point and went on to claim four straight singles matches for a 5-2 victory over Virginia. The following day, Wake Forest cruised to a 6-1 triumph over Virginia Tech.
Sasha Kulikova is Wake Forest's No. 2 player and has already reached the 20-win plateau, accumulating a 20-6 overall record and a 9-1 mark in dual match play. Alex Hirsch has played a majority of the season at the top spot for the Deacons, posting a 2-7 record in the spring. Also in the mix are Sierra Poske and Emilee Malvehy who both have 14 wins to their credit.
Chad Skorupka enters his third season at the helm of the Wake Forest women's tennis program. Last year, Skorupka led the Demon Deacons to their second consecutive NCAA tournament, where they advanced to the second round.
SERIES HISTORY VS. WAKE FOREST
This will mark just the second meeting between San Diego State and Wake Forest. The Aztecs trail the Deacons in the short series by a 1-0 count. The first and only meeting between the two teams was in the second round of the 2000 NCAA tournament, where WF topped SDSU, 5-0.
AZTECS IN THE POLLS
Freshman Julia Trunk is currently ranked 86th in the nation in singles. Following an outstanding fall season, where she went 9-3 and reached the semifinals of the ITA West Regionals, the Bad Saulgau, Germany, native acheived a high ranking of No. 61 in the first poll released (Jan. 8) by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). The next individual poll is set to be released on March 18.
BAGSHAW AND KRAUSOVA ON A ROLL
After starting the dual-match campaign with a 2-4 doubles record, Holly Bagshaw and Eliska Krausova have now won four straight matches together to improve to 6-4 in the spring. The current unbeaten streak spans two weeks and started with an 8-2 victory over Zorec and Sandborn of Hawai'i. The Aztec duo continued its winning ways with a pair of 8-4 triumphs over UC Irvine's Agababian/Broadfoot and Arizona's Toporowska/Orletsky, before outlasting Anisimova/Tansill of Penn, 9-8(3). Bagshaw and Krausova lead SDSU in doubles action with a 10-6 overall record.
KRAUSOVA IN THE BOOKS
After a big win over Julia Koulbitskaya of Penn last Saturday, senior Eliska Krausova is now tied for ninth on the all-time singles charts with 63 career victories. The Prague, Czech Republic, native is just two wins away from tying three-time All-American and Aztec Hall of Famer Nicole Storto, who currently sits at No. 8 with 65 triumphs. Krausova has posted at least 15 victories in each of her three years at SDSU and had a team-high 21 wins in 2006-07.
NIELSEN ON THE VERGE
Senior Sisse Nielsen is three wins away from cracking SDSU's all-time top 10 with 59 career individual doubles victories. The Alleroed, Denmark, native sits just behind Katalina Romero and current Aztec assistant coach Lindsey Gamp, who each have 62 triumphs to their credit. Along with former Aztec Dita Hauerlandova, Nielsen is also tied for sixth in the single-season record books, as the duo recorded 19 wins in 2005-06.
MATTERA AT THE HELM
Peter Mattera enters his 27th season at San Diego State and 15th as head coach of the Scarlet and Black. In 14 seasons, the Aztecs' mentor has guided SDSU to 10 postseason appearances, compiling a record of 217-146 (.598) in the process. Equally impressive is the fact that 12 of his 14 squads have finished with an overall record of .500 or better, despite playing one of the toughest schedules in the nation on an annual basis.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Since the opening of the Aztec Tennis Center in 2005, SDSU has won 70 percent of its home matches, posting a 30-13 record. All 13 defeats have come at the hands of teams ranked in the top 60.
STAY TUNED
San Diego State will take a week off before concluding its three-match homestand on Tuesday, March 25, when Harvard makes its way to the Aztec Tennis Center for a 2 p.m. PT showdown. The match against the Crimson will be SDSU's final tune-up before opening Mountain West Conference play in Provo, Utah, with contests against both Utah (March 28) and BYU (March 29).