April 5, 2008
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The 48th-ranked San Diego State men's tennis team saw its 18-match regular-season Mountain West Conference winning streak come to an end Saturday morning as it suffered a 5-2 setback at the hands of Utah at the Lobo Tennis Club in Albuquerque, N.M. With the loss, the Aztecs dipped to 12-7 on the season and 1-1 in the MWC, while the Utes evened their record at 9-9 overall and 1-1 in league play.
Things started ominously for SDSU as it dropped the doubles point for the first time in six duals. First off the courts were Bartosz Golas and Juan Gomez, who had no answers for Zach Ganger and Miron Mann in an 8-1 defeat at the No. 1 position. Achim Ceban and Tim Schulz van Endert kept the score close in the No. 2 spot; however, Timmy Allin and Wes Hancock eked out a 9-7 win, giving Utah an early 1-0 advantage. The Aztecs were able to prevent a sweep when Andre Feliz and Matan Shitrit prevailed by an 8-5 count over John Taylor and Othman Zerouali-Ouariti in the third slot.
SDSU was poised to right the ship in singles play, capturing the first set in five of the six matches. However, the Utes managed to rally in three of those contests to pull away for the victory. Still, the Aztecs forged a 2-1 lead after Shitrit breezed past Zerouali-Ouariti, 6-2, 6-1, in the No. 2 position, while Schulz van Endert dispatched Taylor, 6-2, 6-3, in the sixth spot. Soon thereafter, Utah knotted the score when Ganger overcame grueling opening set against Golas to emerge with a 7-6(6), 6-2 triumph on the No. 1 court.
At this juncture, the match slowly slipped from the Aztecs' grasp as the Scarlet and Black was unable to close out the remaining three encounters despite holding early leads. Feliz was the first to experience such frustration when Allin engineered a comeback win in the No. 5 slot, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, while Ceban fell victim to Hancock in another nail-biter at No. 4, 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-4, effectively ending SDSU's hopes. With the requisite four points secured, the Utes added their fifth tally of the day when Mann escaped the jaws of defeat against Gomez, 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-1, in the third spot.
San Diego State wraps up its opening MWC slate on Sunday when it locks horns with No. 54 New Mexico on the Lobos' home courts. First serve is set for 1:30 p.m. MDT.
UTAH 5, No. 48 SAN DIEGO STATE 2
Lobo Tennis Club
Albuquerque, N.M.
Doubles
1. Zach Ganger / Miron Mann (U) def. Bartosz Golas / Juan Gomez (SDSU), 8-1
2. Timmy Allin / Wes Hancock (U) def. Achim Ceban / Tim Schulz van Endert (SDSU), 9-7
3. Andre Feliz / Matan Shitrit (SDSU) def. John Taylor / Othman Zerouali-Ouariti (U), 8-5
Utah wins doubles point
Singles
1. Zach Ganger (U) def. Bartosz Golas (SDSU), 7-6(6), 6-2
2. Matan Shitrit (SDSU) def. Othman Zerouali-Ouariti (U), 6-2, 6-1
3. Miron Mann (U) def. Juan Gomez (SDSU), 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-1
4. Wes Hancock (U) def. Achim Ceban (SDSU), 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-4
5. Timmy Allin (U) def. Andre Feliz (SDSU), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
6. Tim Schulz van Endert (SDSU) def. John Taylor (U), 6-2, 6-3
Order of finish
Doubles: 1, 2, 3
Singles: 2, 6, 1, 5, 4*, 3
*match-clinching victory