Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Cal Poly
Bulldogs Beat Mustangs 5-2 in Season Opener
1/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Jan. 20, 2008
FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State men's tennis team won the doubles point and took four of six in singles to beat Cal Poly 5-2 in the season opener at the Wathen Tennis Center on Sunday afternoon. Sophomores Tejesvi Veerepalli and Mirko Zapletal trailed 4-2 at the No. 1 spot in doubles, but rallied to win 8-5 and clinch the doubles point.
"It was good to get a win today and get some of our younger guys the opportunity to play in front of the home crowd," said head coach Jay Udwadia. "We took our share of licks, but the team played with a high-level of energy."
Sophomore Taylor Leiby and junior Rudolf Siwy also got a win in doubles. Playing at the No. 3 spot, Leiby and Siwy were solid throughout the match, beating Berger and Wardman 8-3.
In singles, Cal Poly took the lead 2-1 with wins at No. 4 and No. 5. But Veerepalli breezed through his second set to finish off Rob Foy for a 6-3, 6-1 victory. Veerepalli played at the No. 3 spot in the singles lineup for the first time in his career and delivered a straight-set win.
"I thought Tejesvi played very smart," Udwadia said. "He's matured and he showed he has the mental toughness to play at that position."
Zapletal then followed with a straight-set win over Andrew Gerst to pull the Bulldogs ahead for good. Siwy clinched the match with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Joel Aherberg. Siwy, ranked No. 92 in the country, improved his singles record to 8-4 overall.
"I thought we played great in doubles," Siwy said. "In singles, I didn't offer anything spectacular, but I tried to play smart and hold my serve."
Freshman Siddharth Alapati battled for a 7-6, 6-4 win over Blake Wardman at the No. 6 spot to complete the scoring for Fresno State. Alapati trailed 3-0 in the first set and 4-2 in the second, but pulled out the come-from-behind win.
It was the second straight season opening win over Cal Poly for Fresno State. The Bulldogs improved to 14-4 overall against the Mustangs.
Now the Bulldogs turn their attention to a four-match road trip. The Bulldogs head to Oklahoma and Arkansas next week before traveling to southern California for two matches against San Diego State and San Diego.
NCAA Men's Tennis
Wathen Tennis Center (Fresno, Calif.)
Jan. 20, 2008
Fresno State def. Cal Poly, 5-2
Doubles (Fresno State wins doubles point)
1) Veerepalli/Zapletal (FS) def. Aherberg/Gerst (CP), 8-5
2) Foy/Young (CP) def. Fafek/Nilsson (FS), 8-4
3) Leiby/Siwy (FS) def. Berger/Wardman (CP), 8-3
Order of completion: 2, 3, 1
Singles
1) No. 92 Rudolf Siwy (FS) def. Joel Aherberg (CP), 6-4, 6-2
2) Mirko Zapletal (FS) def. Andrew Gerst (CP), 6-3, 6-1
3) Tejesvi Veerepalli (FS) def. Rob Foy (CP), 6-3, 6-1
4) Darryn Young (CP) def. Denny Fafek (FS), 6-1, 6-2
5) Drew Jacobs (CP) def. Martin Nilsson (FS), 6-2, 6-2
6) Siddharth Alapati (FS) def. Blake Wardman (CP), 7-6, 6-4
Order of completion: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 6
Records: Fresno State (1-0); Cal Poly (0-1)
Players Mentioned
