March 9, 2016
***Due to imending inclement weather, today's SDSU-Penn match will start at noon.***
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State men's tennis team plays host this weekend, welcoming No. 70 Penn and Arizona to Aztec Tennis Center. The Aztecs face the Quakers on Fri., March 11 at noon and the Wildcats on Sat., March 12 at noon.
After opening dual play with a four-match win streak, allowing just three points in that span, Arizona's record began to reverse. The Wildcats proceeded to lose five of their next seven matches, including a winless weekend against Loyola Marymount and Fresno State on March 3 and March 5. Will Kneale leads the team in singles play, putting up an impressive 11-2 mark this year. Naoki Takeda is also on par with Kneale, going 7-2 in 2016. Arizona has the series advantage against the Aztecs with a 4-5 mark, but SDSU took the team's most recent meeting, a 5-2 win on the road in 2012.
Before traveling to the Golden State, No. 70 Penn snapped a three-match losing streak with a 6-1 win at Air Force. The Quakers earned its third singles sweep of the season, not needing a third set to earn the victory in any singles spot. Penn's doubles play has also been solid this season, due in part to Austin Kaplan and Nicholai Westergaard. The duo is the 50th ranked doubles pairing in the nation, earning a 9-4 dual mark, including a win over then-No. 16 Hayden Sabatka and Bart Van Leijsen of New Mexico. SDSU has a perfect 2-0 record over the Quakers, most recently beating Penn 5-2 in 2014.
Prior to visiting Montezuma Mesa, Penn faces USD on Thurs., March 10 at 10 a.m., while Arizona plays the Toreros at 3 p.m.
This weekend, the Aztecs will attempt a break out from the three-match losing slump in which they are currently mired. Despite the faltering as of late, the play of Milen Ianakiev has emerged as a bright spot for San Diego State. In SDSU's most recent dual match against Pepperdine, the junior won his singles match and, alongside Santiago Cevallos, topped No. 30 Lautaro Pane and Pedro Iamachkine, 7-5. Following the Pepperdine match, the Aztecs sent four representatives to the Pacific Coast Men's Doubles Championship, where two pairs, Cevallos and Ianakiev and head coach Gene Carswell and assistant coach Jeff Thomsen, advanced to the Round of 32 at the prestigious event.
Following the weekend, San Diego State welcomes USD, Harvard, Princeton, Tulane, Texas Tech, Denver and Memphis to Aztec Tennis Center for the Hilton San Diego Mission Valley Spring Classic. The Aztecs will host the first two rounds of the tournament, while the location of the remaining matches will be announced at a later date.