Jan. 11, 2017
SDSU Men's Tennis Weekly Release
SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego State men's tennis team opens its 2017 dual-match schedule this weekend when it travels to the Aloha State to battle Hawai'i (Jan. 13) and UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 14) at UH Tennis Complex in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Friday's clash with the Rainbow Warriors is set to begin at 3 p.m. HT (5 p.m. PT), while the starting time for Saturday afternoon's encounter with the Gauchos will be determined shortly.
The Aztecs will be opening their dual-match slate outside of California for the first time since 2010 when they fell to Texas Tech by a narrow 4-3 count in Las Vegas, Nev. SDSU has won six straight openers, including a 5-1 decision over UC Riverside last season at Sunrise Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif. In addition, the Scarlet and Black is 8-2 in its last 10 lid-lifters.
SDSU returns five letterwinners from last season's squad, including senior Milen Ianakiev and junior Santiago Cevallos, who received all-Mountain West recognition in doubles action. In addition, Ianakiev led the Aztecs with 11 victories in singles competition a year ago, playing primarily in the No. 3 position, while senior Marko Goles-Babic and sophomore Sander Gjoels-Andersen recorded 10 wins each, mainly in the fourth and fifth spots, respectively. In 2015, Goles-Babic posted a 23-7 mark in singles en route to earning all-MW honors. Sophomore Raul de la Torre, who captured the Flight 2 singles championship at the Aztec Fall Invitational last October, is back in the mix as well.
SDSU also welcomes the addition of freshmen David Hough, Nicholas Mitchell, Joel Popov and Rafael Gonzalez Almazan. A native of Australia, Hough led the newcomers with five singles victories during the fall tournament schedule, highlighted by an appearance in the consolation semifinals at the ITA Southwest Regional Championships in Malibu, Calif. Meanwhile, Gonzalez Almazan will be making his collegiate debut this weekend after joining the Aztecs during the semester break.
SDSU is 11-2 against Hawai'i dating back to 1989, including a 5-2 triumph in the last meeting between the two squads in 2014. The Scarlet and Black won the doubles point and recorded four wins in singles play to secure the victory. The Aztecs last visited Honolulu in 2013 when they posted an identical 5-2 triumph over the Rainbow Warriors. During head coach Gene Carswell's tenure, SDSU is 5-2 against Hawai'i, including a 2-1 mark on the road. The Aztecs are 63-20 against current members of the Big West Conference since 1989.
SDSU logged a 2-2 record against Hawai'i foes during the fall tournament schedule. The doubles team of Marko Goles-Babic and Milen Ianakiev emerged with an 8-2 triumph over the Warrior tandem of Marcel Chan and Igor Kolaric at the ITA Southwest Regional Championships last October. Ianakiev was also victorious in singles play, dispatching Chris Cajigan by a 6-2, 6-2 tally in the round of 32 in the consolation bracket.
Despite maintaining a 16-9 advantage in the all-time series vs. UCSB, San Diego State will be looking to avenge a 5-2 setback to the Gauchos at Aztec Tennis Center last season. After earning the doubles point, SDSU was stymied in singles play, with Marko Goles-Babic posting the team's lone victory in the No. 4 slot. The Aztecs have faced the Gauchos in neutral-site clashes on two previous occasions, dropping a 5-4 decision in 1989 at Fresno, Calif., before turning the tables with a 5-4 triumph at the UC Irvine Invitational in 1994. The Scarlet and Black also engaged UCSB away from Montezuma Mesa in 2009, claiming a 5-2 victory at Fairbanks Ranch Country Club.
The Gauchos are led by Morgan Mays and Simon Freund, who earned a No. 19 preseason ranking in doubles by the ITA. The Aztecs faced UCSB adversaries twice during the fall tournament schedule, posting a 1-1 record in singles play. Goles-Babic defeated Cody Rakela by a count of 6-3, 7-6(4) in the round of 32 at the Battle in the Bay Classic in San Francisco. Gjoels-Andersen was not as fortunate, however, dropping a 6-4, 6-3 decision to Mays in the same bracket of the event.
Head coach Gene Carswell is in his 14th season at the helm of the San Diego State men's tennis program. A four-time Mountain West Coach of the Year honoree, Carswell has amassed 184 victories overall while guiding the Aztecs to four conference regular-season championships and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in 2005 and 2015. During his tenure, Carswell has coached four MW Player of the Year winners and two league Freshman of the Year recipients, while his players have garnered 30 all-MW singles accolades and 13 all-conference doubles honors.
Following this weekend's matches, SDSU returns to the friendly confines of Aztec Tennis Center for its home opener against Mississippi State on Sunday, Jan. 22, beginning at 11 a.m. The Bulldogs were listed 24th in the first ITA rankings of the season, released Jan. 4.