April 11, 2008
PROVO, Utah - The 54th-ranked San Diego State men's tennis team suffered a season-high fourth straight defeat on Friday, falling to No. 34 TCU, 4-1, in a Mountain West Conference clash on neutral courts at the Brigham Young indoor tennis complex in Provo, Utah. With the loss, the Aztecs slipped to 12-10 on the season and 1-4 in league play, while the Horned Frogs improved to 17-6 overall and 4-1 in the MWC.
SDSU began the match by utilizing two brand-new doubles teams, which yielded mixed results. Andre Feliz and Tim Schulz van Endert were unsuccessful in their debut together as Cosmin Cotet and Adrian Simon knocked off the Aztec tandem, 8-3, in the No. 2 position. TCU then clinched the point when Kriegler Brink and Emanu Brighiu dispatched Bartosz Golas and Juan Gomez by an 8-5 count in the No. 1 spot. Over on court three, the Scarlet and Black avoided the sweep when Achim Ceban joined forces with Matan Shitrit for the first time this season to edge Zach Nichols and Jack Seider in a tiebreaker, 9-8(3).
Trailing 1-0, SDSU dug itself a deeper hole as singles competition unfolded when Ceban was victimized by Brink, 6-3, 6-1, in the No. 3 slot, while Shitrit dropped a 6-3, 6-3 decision at the top of the order to Cotet, who entered the contest with a No. 34 national ranking in the latest ITA singles poll.
The Aztecs managed to curb the Frogs' momentum somewhat as Golas won his 14th match of the year with a 6-4, 6-4 triumph over Brighiu in the No. 2 position. However, TCU quickly dashed any hopes of an SDSU rally when Nichols pulled away from Gomez in a three-set affair, 6-2, 2-6, 6-2, on the No. 4 court.
With the necessary four points in the Frogs' possession and two other league duals scheduled for the indoor facility, the final two encounters of the day were abandoned. Feliz captured the first set, 6-3, against Casey Powers at No. 6, while Jordan Colman experienced the opposite fate as Simon claimed the opening set, 6-4, in the fifth slot when the match was halted.
San Diego State closes out its regular-season schedule on Saturday, April 12, as it remains in Provo to face MWC rival UNLV starting at 10 a.m. MDT.
No. 34 TCU 4, No. 54 SAN DIEGO STATE 1
BYU Indoor Tennis Courts
Provo, Utah
Doubles
1. Kriegler Brink / Emanu Brighiu (TCU) def. Bartosz Golas / Juan Gomez (SDSU), 8-5
2. Cosmin Cotet / Adrian Simon (TCU) def. Andre Feliz / Tim Schulz van Endert (SDSU), 8-3
3. Achim Ceban / Matan Shitrit (SDSU) def. Zach Nichols / Jack Seider (TCU), 9-8(3)
TCU wins doubles point
Singles
1. #34 Cosmin Cotet (TCU) def. Matan Shitrit (SDSU), 6-3, 6-3
2. Bartosz Golas (SDSU) def. Emanu Brighiu (TCU), 6-4, 6-4
3. Kriegler Brink (TCU) def. Achim Ceban (SDSU), 6-3, 6-1
4. Zach Nichols (TCU) def. Juan Gomez (SDSU), 6-2, 2-6, 6-2
5. Adrian Simon (TCU) vs. Jordan Colman (SDSU), 6-4, DNF
6. Andre Feliz (SDSU) vs. Casey Powers (TCU), 6-3, DNF
Order of finish
Doubles: 2, 1, 3
Singles: 3, 1, 2, 4*
*match-clinching victory