SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State men's tennis team will be back in action this week when it takes on Loyola Marymount in a non-conference home-and-home series, March 17 and March 21.
The Aztecs and Lions will square off at Aztec Tennis Center on Wednesday, starting at 2 p.m., while Sunday's clash is set to get underway at 1 p.m. in Los Angeles.
The first SDSU-LMU showdown is a makeup date from March 3 when predicted rain for San Diego forced the postponement of the match before ultimately drenching the area.
The Aztecs (2-5, 0-1 MW) have fallen short in three straight matches, including a 4-0 setback to Boise State in their Mountain West opener on March 13. SDSU ceded a hotly contested doubles point before dropping three completed singles matches.
The pairing of Johannes Seeman and Victor Castro posted the Aztecs' lone victory of the day with a 6-4 triumph at No. 1 doubles. However, the Scarlet and Black was haunted by close defeats in the remaining two spots, as the Broncos seized the momentum heading into singles.
A sophomore transfer from Fresno State, Seeman leads the Scarlet and Black with a 4-2 record at No. 1 singles. His recent encounter with Boise State's Blake Bayldon was his first unfinished match of the year. The native Estonian won the first set by a 6-4 tally before facing a narrow 5-4 deficit in the second when the clash was suspended.
Freshmen Judson Blair and Roni Rikkonen also have a pair of victories to their credits this spring. Blair has seen action at both the fourth and fifth positions, while Rikkonen has played primarily at No. 6 along with one start in the fourth spot. In addition, Blair has teamed with Castro for two wins at the No. 3 doubles slot.
Despite the relative close proximity between the two schools, San Diego State has faced LMU on just two previous occasions, dropping a 5-0 decision at Aztec Tennis Center in the 2018 season opener before suffering a 6-1 defeat on the road last year in an abbreviated campaign.
Rafael Gonzalez Alamazan is the lone SDSU returner to emerge victorious in that contest, teaming with ex-Aztec Jan Kirchhoff for a 6-1 conquest of Max Kaiser and former Lion Ryan Brown at No. 3 doubles. SDSU alum Arnaud Restifo recorded the Scarlet and Black's only other win that day with a 6-3, 6-4 decision over Austin Di Guillo at No. 5 singles.
Gonzalez Almazan is also the only holdover from the match in 2018, when he combined with former Aztec Raul de la Torre for a 6-2 triumph at No. 3 doubles.
LMU sports an identical 2-5 record as SDSU so far this spring and will be looking to put the brakes on a three-match slide of its own. After defeating Fresno State at home on Feb. 19, the Lions have dropped three straight road contests at UCLA (4-1) and UC Santa Barbara (5-2), as well as a return engagement with Fresno State (5-2).
Earlier the season, Loyola Marymount faced three common opponents as San Diego State, falling to No. 1 USC (7-0) and UC Irvine (4-3) before defeating Cal Poly (4-1).
Di Guillo has been the Lions' big winner so far this spring, posting a 5-1 record in singles, highlighted by four wins in the No. 6 position. Meanwhile, John Bryan Otico is the only other LMU player with two wins under his belt, logging a 2-5 mark in the third slot.
Otico has joined forces with Thien Nguyen for 5-1 record in doubles, including a 4-1 mark in the No. 2 spot, while Emin Torlic and Ethan Prost have registered an identical ledger, highlighted by a 4-1 record at No. 3.
Following Sunday's match, San Diego State will step back on the courts for a battle with Washington on Friday, March 26, at Aztec Tennis Center. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. PT.