March 26, 2009
SAN DIEGO -
Complete Release in PDF Format
Aztecs Open Conference Play
The San Diego State men's tennis team opens Mountain West Conference play this weekend as they travel to Colorado Springs, Colo. The Aztecs will face UNLV on Friday, March 27, and New Mexico on March 28. SDSU will cap off the weekend with competition against host Air Force on March 29, with all three matches slated for 10 a.m. MT.
Scouting The Rebels
UNLV is fresh off a 7-0 sweep of Idaho State on March 24 at home. The 65th-ranked Rebels have one ranked doubles team in Elliot Wronski and Luca Barlocchi at No. 75. Owen Hambrook is in his sixth season at the helm of the squad.
Series History vs. UNLV
San Diego State owns 14 of the 21 all-time meetings between the two Mountain West Conference schools. In last season's match-up, the Aztecs fell to the Rebels, 4-2, in Las Vegas.
Scouting The Lobos
New Mexico is coming off a 6-1 win over Purdue on March 21. With the win, the 34th-ranked Lobos improve their season record to 13-2. Senior Graeme Kassautzki is ranked No. 34. Alan Dils is in his 13th season as the head coach of the team.
Series History vs. New Mexico
The Aztecs have taken 14 out of the 25 all-time meetings between the two institutions. In 2008 the Lobos topped SDSU, 5-2, in New Mexico.
Scouting The Falcons
Air Force is fresh off a 4-3 loss to Portland State on March 24. The loss broke the Falcons five-match winning streak, dropping their season record to 7-11. Rich Gugat is in his 35th season leading the team.
Series History vs. Air Force
SDSU has claimed 21 of the 22 all-time meetings between the two schools. Last season, San Diego State swept the Falcons, 7-0, on the road.
Aztecs In The Polls
San Diego State is currently ranked 37th in the nation, according to the first FILA Collegiate Tennis Rankings released March 24 by the Intercollegiate Collegiate Tennis Association (ITA). The doubles team of junior Achim Ceban and sophomore Giovanni Vaglietti are ranked 57th.
The Coaches
Gene Carswell is in his 11th season at San Diego State and sixth as head coach of the Scarlet and Black. In his six seasons at the helm, the Aztecs' mentor has compiled an overall record of 83-50 (.624), while guiding SDSU to three straight Mountain West Conference regular-season titles from 2005-2007. During that stretch, the native San Diegan led the Aztecs to a 17-0 league mark en route to earning three consecutive MWC coach of the year accolades. Prior to his present duties, Carswell was an Aztec assistant for five years from 1998-2003, earning a pair of ITA regional assistant coach of the year honors in 2001 and 2003.
2007-08 Review
SDSU finished the 2008 dual-match campaign with a 13-12 overall record and a 1-5 mark in the Mountain West Conference.
Last Time Out With The Aztecs
San Diego State picked up a win over Harvard on March 25 at the Aztec Tennis Center, downing the Crimson, 6-1. Both squads honored the late tennis coach Tom Hagedorn by holding a moment of silence before the match and wearing black armbands during competition.