Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
New Mexico State
Bulldogs Top Aggies, Advance to WAC Final
4/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 26, 2008
FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State men's tennis team earned its third-straight trip to the Western Athletic Conference final after beating a tough New Mexico State team on Saturday in Las Cruces, N.M. The Bulldogs downed the Aggies 4-0, although the match was much closer than it appeared. Fresno State executed when it counted and pulled out a close doubles point as well.
"It was nice to see our players come from behind," said head coach Jay Udwadia. "The guys came through and we were in a position to win each match. Our three freshman came up big to get three singles wins."
Fresno State has five players who have been in the championship match before. Experiece will give the Bulldogs an advantage in that respect, as they will face a Hawai'i team that upset Boise State in the other semifinal on Saturday.
Either team had an opportunity to take a 1-0 advantage after doubles. The Bulldogs and Aggies had each won a doubles match, when sophomores Flavio Mollinedo and Tejesvi Veerepalli pulled out a 9-8 decision at the No. 3 spot to clinch the point.
In singles, three of six matches went into third sets. The 'Dogs took an early 3-0 lead when freshmen Denny Fafek and Siddharth Alapati won in straight-sets.
But with four contests remaining, each in heated battles, the match could have gone either way. Veerepalli and sophomore Mirko Zapletal had lost first sets, but rallied to force a third frame. Freshman Nilsson also lost a tough first set 7-6, but regained composure and cruised in his final two sets to clinch the victory for Fresno State.
"Winning the doubles point gave us some confidence," Udwadia said. "When we got into singles, everyone was scratching out points and nobody was giving in. Today was a complete team effort. We are definitely looking forward to tomorrow's match."
Veerepalli was on match point when the 'Dogs clinched, and Zapletal was also closing out his match at the No. 2 spot.
The Bulldogs had lost to Boise State the past two seasons in the championship bout. But this year, Udwadia and the 'Dogs overcame Boise State with a 4-2 victory in February. Now, Fresno State will face an improved Hawai'i club in the final on Sunday at 9 a.m. PT.
NCAA Men's Tennis (WAC Championships - Semifinals)
Las Cruces, NM (NMSU Tennis Center)
April 26, 2008
No. 49 Fresno State def. No. 84 New Mexico State, 4-0
Doubles (Fresno State wins doubles point)
1) Siwy/Zapletal (FS) def. Stoisavljevic/Salas (NMSU), 8-4
2) Brouleau/Diep (NMSU) def. Fafek/Lieby (FS), 8-4
3) * Veerepalli/Mollinedo (FS) def. McKinney/De Mucha (NMSU), 9-8
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3*
Singles
1) Gustave Diep (NMSU) vs. No. 83 Rudolf Siwy (FS) 6-4, 6-5, unfinished
2) Roman Stoisavljevic (NMSU) vs. Mirko Zapletal (FS) 6-2, 4-6, 2-5, unfinished
3) Jim Brouleau (NMSU) vs. Tejesvi Veerepalli (FS) 6-1, 3-6, 3-5, unfinished
4) Denny Fafek (FS) def. Stefan McKinney (NMSU) 6-4, 6-2
5) * Martin Nilsson (FS) def. Eduardo Salas (NMSU) 6-7, 6-0, 6-2
6) Siddharth Alapati (FS) def. Alejandro de Mucha (NMSU) 6-3, 6-2
Order of Finish: 4, 6, 5*
Did Not Finish: 1, 2, 3
* Clinched Match
Records: Fresno State (17-8), New Mexico State (13-7)
Players Mentioned
