Feb. 22, 2017
SAN DIEGO -- After a 12-day break, the San Diego State men's tennis team resumes its spring schedule on Friday, Feb. 24, when it welcomes Saint Mary's to Aztec Tennis Center for a non-conference dual match, beginning at 1:30 p.m. PT.
SDSU (3-4) has won two of its last three encounters, posting a 6-1 conquest of Northern Arizona (Feb. 10) and a dramatic 4-3 triumph over UC Irvine (Feb. 11), before experiencing the opposite fate in a tough 4-3 setback to UC Davis (Feb. 12).
Individually, senior Milen Ianakiev (Elz, Hesse, Germany) leads the Aztecs with nine victories in singles play, while fellow classmate Marko Goles-Babic has eight wins to his credit this year.
Goles-Babic has won his last three matches, including a thrilling three-set affair in the No. 2 position vs. UCI, which provided SDSU the clinching point. The Zagreb, Croatia native has also joined forces with sophomore Sander Gjoels-Andersen (Klampenborg, Denmark) to post a 3-3 dual-match record in doubles play at No. 1, while Ianakiev and junior Santiago Cevallos (Queretaro, Mexico) are 2-2 in the No. 2 position.
Two freshmen have also worked their way into the Aztecs' rotation this year, with Joel Popov (Tampere, Finland) collecting seven wins overall, including three in dual-match play, while Rafael Gonzalez Almazan (Madrid, Spain), who joined the squad during the semester break has pocketed three victories of his own.
The Gaels (3-3), meanwhile, have lost three straight, including a 6-1 setback at home to UC Davis in their last outing on Feb. 18. Saint Mary's is led by junior Nash Vollenweider, who has compiled a 4-2 record at No. 1 singles this spring. In addition, freshman Matis Bot is 3-3 in dual-match play this year, including a 2-0 mark in the No. 4 position.
The two programs have met on just one previous occasion, with the Aztecs posting a 4-0 whitewash of the Gaels last year in a neutral-site clash at Cal Poly's Mustang Tennis Complex in San Luis Obispo, Calif. After capturing the early doubles point, SDSU racked up three quick singles victories, including a triumph in straight sets by Ianakiev at No. 3, to complete the shutout. In all, the Aztecs are 62-51 against current members of the West Coast Conference.
Following Friday's clash, San Diego State returns to action next week when it plays host to No. 40 Pepperdine on Thursday, March 2, starting at 2 p.m. PT. Select Aztecs will also compete in the Pacific Coast Doubles Championships, March 2-5, in La Jolla, Calif.