March 28, 2018
SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State men's tennis team jumps back into Mountain West action for a couple of dual matches this week when it travels to Boise State on Thursday, March 29, beginning at 6 p.m. MT/5 p.m. PT, before returning home for a clash with Utah State on Sunday, April 1, starting at 11 a.m. PT.
The Aztecs are coming off a dominating 6-1 conquest of Eastern Washington at home Tuesday to snap an eight-match losing streak. The Scarlet and Black posted straight-set victories in five of six singles encounters, including two by sophomore Arnaud Restifo and junior Sander Gjoels-Andersen, who put the brakes on a pair of personal eight-match slides with wins in the No. 1 and No. 3 positions, respectively.
In addition, sophomore Rafael Gonzalez Almazan recorded his team-high 15th victory of the season with his third straight decision, while junior Raul de la Torre and freshman Jan Kirchhoff emerged triumphant as well.
SDSU (3-15, 1-0 MW) already has a conference victory under its belts after edging UNLV 4-3 in dramatic fashion on Feb. 16 in Las Vegas. The Aztecs trailed 3-2 on the team scoreboard, before Gonzalez Almazan and Gjoels-Andersen capped a stirring comeback with three-set decisions at No. 5 and No. 3 singles, respectively.
San Diego State is 8-9 against Boise State in program history, snapping a two-match skid to the Broncos with a 4-1 triumph at Aztec Tennis Center last year, as then-freshman Joel Popov provided the clinching point at No. 5 singles.
Boise State (7-10, 0-1 MW) won three straight earlier this month before suffering a 4-0 shutout at Cal Poly in its last outing on March 25. Like SDSU, the Broncos have also faced one conference opponent early in their spring slate, falling at Utah State by the same 4-0 count on Feb. 4.
Junior transfer Wyatt DeMulling has been Boise State's biggest winner this spring, posting a 7-7 in four different spots on the team's singles ladder, while fellow classmate Pedro Platzeck has five dual-match victories to his credit, playing primarily in the No. 6 position.
The Broncos also sport juniors Kyle Butters and Jack Heslin, who earned all-Mountain West doubles recognition last year and have combined for four victories this spring, along with the tandem of Platzeck and Stefan Lalovic.
Defending regular-season and conference tournament champion Utah State (11-8, 2-0 MW) is coming off a 4-1 victory over UNLV in its last outing on March 24. The Aggies will be making a return trip to "America's Finest City" after participating in the San Diego Spring Classic earlier this month when they posted a 1-2 mark, featuring a 4-0 shutout of Rice sandwiched between a pair of losses to San Diego (4-0) and Arizona (4-1).
USU boasts four freshmen in its rotation, including Felipe Acosta, who is 9-0 in dual matches alternating between the fourth, fifth and sixth singles positions, while fellow classmate Jose Carvajal has racked up nine victories of his own, including four at No. 4. In addition, junior Sergiu Bucur has compiled an 8-6 record this spring, including a 7-2 mark in the No. 2 spot, while senior Jaime Barajas is 6-7 at the top of the ladder.
In doubles, Barajas and Carvajal have joined forces to post an 8-3 ledger in the No. 1 slot, while Acosta has teamed with fellow classmate Addy Vashistha for a 5-1 mark in the third position.
The Aztecs are 1-3 against the Aggies all-time, including a 4-1 setback in the Mountain West semifinals last season. In that match, SDSU captured the early doubles point, before USU spoiled the upset bid with four straight victories in singles competition.
UP NEXT
After Sunday's showdown with the Aggies, San Diego State continues its MW slate the following weekend when New Mexico (April 6) and Air Force April 8) invade Aztec Tennis Center. Admission is free.