Fresno State Athletics
Bulldogs Ready For WAC Tournament This Weekend
4/25/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 25, 2007
FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State men's tennis team heads to the Western Athletic Conference Championships this weekend in Boise, Idaho. The 'Dogs are the No. 2 seed and face Idaho in the quarterfinals at 8 a.m. PST in the Appleton Tennis Center. Fresno State will look to capture its first conference title since 1999.
The `Dogs got their first taste of conference competition two weeks ago when they played both Utah State and Boise State in Boise. Fresno State beat Utah State 7-0, but fell to Boise State 4-3. The `Dogs had won the doubles point, but were only able to capture two of six in singles. Last year, Fresno State reached the final of the WAC tournament, falling 4-3 to Boise State in the title match.
Stay tuned to gobulldogs.com for live updates throughout conference tournament.
Blue Collar Tennis
Head coach Jay Udwadia and the Bulldogs have adopted a work-hard, no excuses attitude this season. The Bulldogs are a blue collar tennis team that is well prepared and conditioned for its opponents at every match. The term "blue collar tennis" is actually a name that Udwadia earned several years ago from his peers. Coaches from around the country have come to acknowledge Udwadia's work ethic and detailed attention to conditioning which has proven to be very important in his success as a head coach.
Czech Them Out
Fresno State's top three singles players all hail from the Czech Republic: Senior Jakub Cech, sophomore Rudolf Siwy and freshman Mirko Zapletal. Cech had an outstanding fall season in which he won the prestigious ITA Northwest Regional singles title. Siwy has been consistent all season long, while Zapletal leads the team with 15 dual wins.
Fabulous Freshman
Along with Zapletal, the Bulldogs boast three other freshmen in the starting lineup. Taylor Leiby has played mostly in doubles, primarily with Siwy at the No. 3 spot. Siwy and Leiby ended the regular season with a record of 8-7. Tejesvi Veerepalli has played with senior Charlies Irie at the No. 2 spot in doubles, compiling an overall record of 13-6 and a dual mark of 9-6. Veerepalli has played most of the season at the No. 5 spot in singlesFlavio Mollinedo joined the team in the spring and has faired wll playing mostly at the No. 6 spot the singles lineup.
Seniors Close Out Careers
Jakub Cech and Charles Irie are closing out outstanding careers at Fresno State. Cech currently owns 69 career singles wins which ranks 16th all-time in Fresno State history. Irie owns 66 career singles wins, good for 18th all-time. Cech was the 2006 WAC Player of the Year and won the 2006 ITA Northwest Regional. Irie has been a winner in each season. He recorded a career-high 17 dual wins last year, and has matched his overall career-high in wins with 21 this season.
Home Court Advantage
Last season the Bulldogs were a perfect 10-0 at home. And in a match against Boise State, the Bulldogs were on the verge of yet another victory until rain forced the match to go uncompleted. Since its dedication in 1998, the Wathen Tennis Center has been a great venue for fans and for the tennis team to play. The program owns .879 winning percentage over nine seasons, including three years of perfection at home. This year the `Dogs were 8-2 in the Wathen Tennis Center.
