Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Pepperdine
No. 20 Pepperdine Upends No. 39 Fresno State 5-2
4/10/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 10, 2004
FRESNO, Calif. - Despite an upset victory at No. 2 singles by Stefan Suta and the return of Greg Shearer, 39th-ranked Fresno State was defeated by No. 20 Pepperdine 5-2 on Saturday at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center in Malibu, Calif.
Suta, a senior, upset 45th-ranked Calle Hansen 7-6 (3), 7-5 for one of two singles wins for the Bulldogs (11-8), who have lost two in a row and dropped to 1-5 on the road this year.
The loss dropped Fresno State to 2-12 all-time against Pepperdine (15-7), with both victories coming during the 1996 season.
The Waves, who won their third in a row, grabbed the momentum right away by winning at Nos. 1 and 2 doubles, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead going into singles. Fresno State did pick up a victory at No. 3 when Shearer and Andy Sinn combined to knock off Alexis Rafidison and Richard Johnson 8-4.
In singles, Suta and Jakub Cech at No. 5 were the lone Bulldogs to post wins. Cech defeated Johnson 4-6, 6-4, (10-8).
At No. 1, the 70th-ranked Shearer was taken out by No. 22 Pedro Rico 6-3, 6-4. Shearer had missed the previous three matches due to a violation of team rules. The junior's record dropped to 14-11.
Fresno State returns home Saturday for a match against UC Irvine at noon. The Bulldogs close out the regular season April 18 with a 2 p.m. contest against Pacific. Both will be played at the Wathen Tennis Center, where Fresno State is 9-0 this year.
No. 20 Pepperdine 5, No. 39 Fresno State 2
Doubles (Pepperdine wins point)
1) #22 Rico/Hansen (Pepp) def. Suta/Modoc (FS), 8-4
2) #42 Doerner/Herrera (Pepp) def. Krohn/Cech (FS), 8-3
3) Shearer/Sinn (FS) def. Rafidison/Johnson (Pepp), 8-4
Singles
1) #22 Pedro Rico (Pepp) def. #70 Greg Shearer (FS), 6-3, 6-4
2) Stefan Suta (FS) def. #45 Calle Hansen (Pepp), 7-6 (3), 7-5
3) Alex Herrera (Pepp) def. Alex Krohn (FS), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4
4) Scott Doerner (Pepp) def. Charles Irie (FS), 6-4, 6-4
5) Jakub Cech (FS) def. Richard Johnson (Pepp), 4-6, 6-4, (10-8)
6) Alexis Rafidison (Pepp) def. Sergiu Modoc (FS), 6-3, 6-2
Records: Fresno State (11-8); Pepperdine (15-7)
