Fresno State Athletics
No. 20 Men's Tennis Will Be Tested This Week
2/21/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Feb. 21, 2001
THIS WEEK
Wed., Feb. 21--- at No. 23 USC --- Los Angeles, Calif.--- 1:30 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 24 --- UC Irvine --- Fresno, Calif. --- 1 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 25--- No. 13 Texas --- Fresno, Calif.--- 12 p.m.
NEXT WEEK
Thu., Mar. 1 --- at No. 38 Tulsa --- Tulsa, Oklahoma --- 2 p.m.
Sat., Mar. 3 --- at No. 20 Baylor --- Waco, Texas --- 1 p.m.
Sun., Mar. 4 --- at No. 12 SMU --- Dallas, Texas --- 1 p.m.
Scouting No. 23 USC (5-2): Entering their make-up match against UC Irvine last Friday, the Trojans were coming off a 5-2 victory against Georgia Tech on Feb. 8 as USC won five of the six singles matches. The Bulldogs will be looking to avenge last year's season-ending loss to USC, when the Trojan defeated Fresno State 4-1 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs are 4-11 all-time against USC, and schools split their two meetings last year.
Scouting UC Irvine (4-0): The Anteaters were 4-0 before their make-up match against USC last Friday. UC Irvine is scheduled to face No. 1 Stanford on Friday before their match against the Bulldogs. Seniors Chris Ma and Oliver Schweizer are a formidable doubles tandem for UC Irvine, winning their first three matches. Sophomore Renouk Wijemanne and freshman Jonathan Endrika are solid singles players. The Bulldogs are 4-9 all-time against UC Irvine, including a 7-0 win in the last meeting between the two schools in 1995.
Scouting No. 13 Texas (4-0): Entering their match against Pepperdine last Friday, the Longhorns had won their first four matches. Texas won five of six singles matches and swept the doubles matches in their recent 6-1 trouncing of Princeton. The Longhorns are led by seniors Craig Edmondon and Ron Kloppert and sophomore Jean Simon in singles play. Texas leads the all-time series 2-0, and scored a 4-3 victory in the last meeting in 1999.
THE CHASE RESUMES
All-American senior Peter Luczak, who was awarded a No. 14 preseason singles ranking after finishing last season 32-14, needs only 22 singles wins to break the all-time mark of 105 held by Bryan Juinio. Luczak is 2-0 in the spring, and recently defeated No. 7 John Paul Fruttero of Cal 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 in a No. 1 singles clash during Fresno State's 5-2 victory over the Golden Bears on Feb. 8. Luczak, who has also been considered a contender for the NCAA singles title, sat out the fall season playing in satellite and challenger tournaments. The Melbourne, Australia, native has posted identical 32-14 records the last two seasons.
YOUNG GUNS
Freshmen Alex Menichini and Alex Krohn are each 2-0 in singles play for the Bulldogs thus far this season. Menichini (6-4 overall) and Krohn (5-6 overall) have each been impressive in early season matches, and both will have to continue to contribute for the Bulldogs to be successful. In addition, fellow freshman Michael Moretti won his Fresno State debut singles match against Stacy Merenoff of Cal Poly in straight sets.
MULLINS LEADS `DOGS IN THE FALL
Senior David Mullins was the Bulldog's best singles player in the fall season, posting an 11-3 mark. He won the Wathen/Hancock Bulldog Tennis Classic by defeating Oregon's Oded Teig in the finals 7-6 (3), 6-3. Mullins also advanced to the round of 16 in singles at the ITA Regional Championships and advanced to the doubles semifinals with teammate Nick Fustar in the same tournament. Mullins won nine matches in a row at one point this fall, and his 65 singles wins during the past two seasons lead the team.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
The Bulldog's home record since the dedication of the Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center on Feb. 1, 1998, is worth noting. The Bulldogs have gone 33-2 at home since then, including a 28-match win streak entering last season's USC match. Even more impressively, Fresno State's home record dating back to the 1993-94 season is an incredible 70-4.
