Fresno State Athletics
2005-06 Season Recap
6/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
June 7, 2006
Final Release with Match-by-Match Results (Team/Player) in PDF Format
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Cech Wins One Round at NCAA Singles Tournament
Junior Jakub Cech was Fresno State's lone representative at the NCAA singles tournament May 24-29 at the Taube Tennis Center on the campus of Stanford University. Cech was the first member of the men's team to appear in the tournament since Peter Luczak last participated in 2001. Cech won his first round match against Eric Claesson of Mississippi in three sets, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. In the second round, Cech was defeated by seventh-seeded Arnau Brugues of Tulsa. Cech, however, had an outstanding season and finished the year ranked No. 48 in the final Fila ITA Rankings.
Bulldogs Lose Heartbreaker in WAC Title Match
The Bulldogs fell 4-3 to Boise State in a heartbreaker during the Western Athletic Conference title match, April 23 at the Appleton Tennis Center in Boise, Idaho. The match was decided at No. 2 singles as senior Sergiu Modoc and Boise State's Thomas Schoeck battled to the finish. Modoc won the first set and Schoeck won the second. The two fought all the way to the third set tiebreaker before Shoeck prevailed 7-4. The Broncos took an early lead after winning the doubles point. Boise State won at No. 2 doubles, but the Bulldogs stayed close Cech and sophomore Sam Tadevosian won 9-8 (2) at the No. 3 spot in the lineup. But Schoeck and Luke Shields defeated Modoc and senior Sam Gibbs 9-7 to take the point. In singles the Bulldogs responded with three wins. Cech defeated Shields for the second time this season at the No. 1 spot just before freshman Jordi Ballester had beaten Brent Werbeck in straight sets. Boise State still led 3-2 when freshman Rudolf Siwy, trailing from one set down, won the last two sets to defeat Clancy Shields at No. 3 singles.
Cech Named WAC Player of the Year
Cech was named the WAC Player of the Year, and rightly so, after defeating Shields for the second time in less than a month. Cech was named to the first-team All-WAC in singles for the second straight year and now owns a record of 16-4 in dual matches and 22-8 overall. Modoc and Siwy were both named to second-team in singles. Modoc and Gibbs earned first-team All-WAC in doubles, and Siwy and junior Charles Irie earned second-team status in doubles.
Home Court Advantage
The Bulldogs ended the regular season with a perfect record of 10-0 in the Wathen Tennis Center. The team began the year by winning five straight at home before beating the likes of UNLV and Middle Tennessee. One match was cancelled due to rain (San Diego) and one went unfinished because of the weather (Boise State). However, the Bulldogs held a 2-1 advantage with four matches uncompleted against the Broncos.
Cech Keeps Raking In the Awards
Cech was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District second team on May 25. To be eligible for the Academic All-District teams, a student-athletes must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Cech was honored with the Harold Haak Scholarship award at Fresno State's Kiwanis Torch of Excellence ceremony on May 8. The Harold Haak Scholarship is presented each year to Fresno State's most outstanding male and female athletes with continuing elegibility. And finally, Cech was also named the ITA West Region's Arthur Ashe Award winner for Leadership and Sportsmanship. The Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship goes to a player who has exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and leadership as well as scholastic, extracurricular and tennis achievements.
Gibbs and Modoc Dazzle in Doubles
Gibbs and Modoc gave Fresno State fans plenty of thrills in doubles during the 2006 dual match season. The duo opened up the year with five straight wins. After a few rough matches, the tandem bounced back to beat then-No. 2 Born and Siljestrom of Middle Tennessee in a come-from-behind thriller. Gibbs and Modoc also beat then-No. 17 Schoeck and Shields of Boise State during an intense dual match against the Broncos at the Wathen Tennis Center. The senior duo finished the season ranked No. 44 in the final ITA rankings. Modoc led the duo with his strong serve while Gibbs provided fans with unbelievable shots and incredible enthusiasm.
Players Mentioned
