April 11, 2010
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State men's tennis team extended its winning streak to five matches on Sunday, with a 4-3 victory over defending Mountain West Conference champion New Mexico at the Aztec Tennis Center.
The victory left the Aztecs tied with Brigham Young atop the MWC standings at 3-0, two games ahead of all but UNLV in the loss column.
The Aztecs have now won seven of their last eight matches, their last four matches decided by one point and five straight home matches.
The recipe for victory has been similar during the win streak. Win the doubles points, quickly pick up two singles points and gut out the fourth point needed to clinch the team victory. Sunday was no different.
San Diego State used victories at number one and three doubles to secure the first point of the match. Giovanni Vaglietti and Achim Vladimirschii were winners at the top of the lineup and Andre Feliz and Tim Schulz van Endert clinched the doubles point with their victory at number three. The Lobos did pull an upset at number two doubles with Ben Dunbar and Conor Berg upending the nation's 76th-ranked duo, Juan Gomez and Luis Rattenhuber. All three doubles matches were decided by an 8-4 score.
Singles play was a mix of three quick, straight-set matches and three, three-set battles. The Aztecs pushed their advantage to 3-0, with senior Vladimirschii winning 6-1, 6-1 at number one and Gomez, a senior, posting a 6-2, 6-2 victory at number two. The Lobos got on the board when Jadon Phillips defeated Vaglietti, 6-3, 6-2, cutting the SDSU advantage to 3-1.
The Lobos and Aztecs split the first two sets at singles four through six, and with New Mexico appearing to have the upper hand in the final set at five and six, SDSU turned to the Rattenhuber, at number four, to clinch the victory.
After dropping the first set, Rattenhuber took the second set and the sophomore quickly took control in the final set, earning an early break and racing to a 3-0 lead. The sophomore closed out the three-setter, winning 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, giving SDSU the win. It marked the second time this week that Rattenhuber earned the match-winning point. He broke a tie at San Diego on Tuesday, providing the difference in the Aztecs, 4-3, win.
New Mexico won the number five and six singles, cutting the final margin of victory to 4-3. San Diego State improved to 9-11 overall and is 3-0 in MWC play, while New Mexico dropped to 6-10 overall and 1-3 in conference play.
San Diego State hits the road for a pair of pivotal matches this week. The Aztecs play at Brigham Young on Friday and at Utah on Saturday.
No. 75 San Diego State 4, New Mexico 3
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Aztec Tennis Center; San Diego, Calif.
DOUBLES
1. Giovanni Vaglietti/Achim Vladimirschii (SDSU) def. Jadon Phillips/Phil Anderson (UNM), 8-4
2. Ben Dunbar/Conor Berg (UNM) def. No. 76 Juan Gomez/Luis Rattenhuber (SDSU), 8-4
3. Andre Feliz/Tim Schulz van Endert (SDSU) def. Matt Neeld/Carl Ho (UNM), 8-4
Order of Finish: 1, 3*, 2
* - clinched doubles point
SINGLES
1. Achim Vladimirschii (SDSU) def. Ben Dunbar (UNM), 6-1, 6-1
2. Juan Gomez (SDSU) def. Carl Ho (UNM), 6-2, 6-2
3. Jadon Phillips (UNM) def. Giovanni Vaglietti (SDSU), 6-3, 6-2
4. Luis Rattenhuber (SDSU) def. Phil Anderson (UNM), 5-7, 6-4, 6-2
5. Conor Berg (UNM) def. Andre Feliz (SDSU), 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
6. Joe Wood (UNM) def. Tim Schulz van Endert (SDSU), 4-6, 6-1, 6-3
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3, 4*, 5, 6
* - clinched team match
Team Records: San Diego State: 9-11, 3-0 MWC, New Mexico: 6-10, 1-3 MWC
Weather: 63 degrees, cloudy, winds SSW at 10 mph
Length of Match: 3:37