April 5, 2016
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State men's tennis team will look to continue its promising start to Mountain West play this weekend with a pair of matches at Aztec Tennis Center. The Aztecs host New Mexico on Thurs., April 7 at 2 p.m. and Air Force on Sun., April 10 at 10 a.m.
The Lobos (13-13, 1-3 MW) have had a rough go against its Mountain West foes, opening conference play with a 4-3 win against Air Force before suffering consecutive losses to UNLV, Utah State and Boise State. In singles play, New Mexico's performance is spearheaded by Hayden Sabatka, who is 8-11 at No. 1, and Agustus Ge's 13-7 record from the No. 4 and 5 spots. The team's top doubles pairing, Bart Van Leijsen and Sabatka, is 6-6 in the top spot with a three-match win streak.
The Falcons (5-15, 0-3 MW) have also faltered against Mountain West opponents, dropping 4-3 to New Mexico and falling 6-1 to both Utah State and Boise State. Singles play features Lucas Fumagalli and Jack McCullers, both of whom have a pair of wins on court No. 1, while Isaac Perez leads the team with a 9-8 mark. In doubles play, Fumagalli and Tadhg Collins have split time in the No. 1 spot with McCullers and Max Olson. Both pairs have three wins in the leading position.
The Scarlet and Black (7-11, 2-0 MW) is coming off of a filled spring break which resulted in a 2-2 record. The Aztecs posted 4-3 and 4-0 wins, respectively, at Fresno State and Nevada, and suffered a 4-0 loss to No. 16 California and a 4-3 defeat at Santa Clara. San Diego State's 2-0 record against its first two Mountain West opponents of the season marks the fourth straight year that SDSU has opened conference play with a 2-0 mark.
Milen Ianakiev, who clinched the win against the Bulldogs, and Hendrik Jebens, who secured the victory against the Wolfpack, lead the team with eight wins a piece in singles play. In doubles play against Fresno State, Ianakiev and Freddy Gelbrich beat Mantas Bugailiskis and Euan McIntosh at the No. 1 spot.
Following the two-game set in San Diego, the Aztecs travel to Boise State on Fri., April 15 for a 6 p.m. (MT) match against the Broncos before returning to Aztec Tennis Center for a noon match on Sun., April 17 against Utah State.