April 27, 2011
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The San Diego State men's tennis team rallied from a 3-0 deficit, winning four consecutive singles matches, en route to an improbable 4-3 victory over fourth-seeded UNLV in the quarterfinal round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament on Wednesday.
Four days after dropping a 5-2 decision to the Rebels in Las Vegas, the Aztecs completed the comeback by winning three, three-set matches to advance to the semifinal round of the conference tournament for a fourth consecutive year. Trailing 3-1, sophomore Jose Sierra Short and senior Tim Schulz van Endert each claimed 6-0 victories in third-set singles matches to pull the Aztecs even. Junior Javier Pulgar clinched the victory with a 6-4, 6-7, 7-5 victory at number two singles to lift San Diego State to the win.
With the victory, the fifth-seeded Aztecs advance to play top-seeded Brigham Young in the semifinal round on Friday at 2 p.m. MT.
Today's match started in similar fashion to the one the teams played last Saturday to end the regular-season, with the Rebels claiming the doubles point. The Aztecs claimed the number two double match behind Andre Feliz and Shiva Sangwan, while the Rebels were victorious at number three doubles courtesy of Rene Ruegamer and Bernard Schoeman. UNLV won the doubles point, with Mehdi Bouras and Johannes Markel recording a 9-7 win over Schulz van Endert and Pulgar.
UNLV quickly built the advantage to 3-0 with straight-set victories at number five and number one singles. The Aztecs started the comeback by Feliz earning a 6-2, 6-1 win at number three singles to give San Diego State its first team point.
Short rallied from a one-set deficit to earn San Diego State's second point. After dropping the first set 6-3, the Guaynabo, Puerto Rico native, rallied back, winning the second set 6-3 and the decisive set 6-0 at number six singles.
Schulz van Endert tied the team score at three. He was victorious at number four, 7-6, 4-6, 6-0, after losing a three-set match to the same opponent last Sunday. That left the match in the hands of the number two singles players. On Sunday, Pulgar was a 6-2, 7-5 winner over Tamas Batyi. Today, that task was considerably harder, with Pulgar outlasting Batyi, 6-4, 6-7, 7-5.
San Diego State, 7-15 overall, now faces 36th-ranked Brigham Young in the semifinal round. The Aztecs and Cougars are meeting for the third time this season, with Brigham Young claiming a 4-0 victory in late January and a 5-2 win earlier this month. The Aztecs will be looking to advance to the title match for the eighth time in 12 seasons. Last season, San Diego State fell in the championship match to TCU, 4-3.
SAN DIEGO STATE 4, NO. 59 UNLV 3
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
DOUBLES--
1. Mehdi Bouras/Johannes Markel (UNLV) def. Tim Schulz van Endert/Javier Pulgar (SDSU) 9-7
2. Andre Feliz/Shiva Sangwan (SDSU) def. Alex Bull/ Kasper Konyves (UNLV) 8-3
3. Rene Ruegamer/Bernard Schoeman (UNLV) def. Giovanni Vaglietti/Jose Sierra Short (SDSU) 8-4
Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1*
* - clinched doubles point
SINGLES--
1. Mehdi Bouras (UNLV) def. Giovanni Vaglietti (SDSU) 6-4, 6-4
2. Javier Pulgar (SDSU) def. Tamas Batyi (SDSU) 6-4, 6-7, 7-5
3. Andre Feliz (SDSU) def. Rene Ruegamer (UNLV) 6-3, 6-1
4. Tim Schulz van Endert (SDSU) def. Johannes Markel (UNLV) 7-6, 4-6, 6-0
5. Alex Bull (UNLV) def. Juan Florez (SDSU) 6-3, 6-4
6. Jose Sierra Short (SDSU) def. Charlie Alvarado (UNLV) 3-6, 6-3, 6-0
Order of Finish: 5, 1, 3, 6, 4, 2*
* - clinched match