Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
UC Santa Barbara
Bulldogs Dominant Against Gauchos
3/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
March 29, 2009
FRESNO, Calif. - The Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center proved to be an unfriendly venue for another guest on Sunday, when the No. 39 Fresno State Bulldogs knocked off UC Santa Barbara, 6-1.
The win pushed the Bulldogs' record to 9-6 and 4-2 at home.
The strong afternoon wind didn't bother Fresno State much, as the `Dogs took all three doubles matches to start the day.
No. 31 Mirko Zapletal and Rudolf Siwy defeated Alexander Konigsfeldt and Josh Finkelstein, 8-3. Remi Boutillier and Rikus de Villiers handed Scott Hohenstein and Evan Jurgensen a 8-5 loss. No. 78 Taylor Leiby and Tejesvi Veerepalli closed out doubles action with a 8-5 victory over Taylor Chavez Goggin and Nick Caledonia.
"We had a really good start today," Veerepalli said. "You never know what's going to happen in these windy conditions."
Leiby made his spring singles debut for the Bulldogs with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over UC Santa Barbara's Mathieu Forget. Shortly after Leiby's victory, Zapletal concluded a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Scott Hohenstein, to give Fresno State a 3-0 team lead.
Veerepalli clinched the match for the Bulldogs with a dramatic 6-1, 7-6 (7-2) victory over Chavez Goggin.
"I just wanted to care of business," Veerepalli said. "We needed someone to step up and show some leadership, and that's what I tried to do."
Boutillier and Siwy also had impressive wins for the Bulldogs. Boutillier defeated Max Taylor, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, and Siwy cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Konigsfeldt.
The victory extended the Bulldogs winning steak to three matches.
"We have some momentum," assistant coach Lee Nickell said. "Obviously we want to capitalize on that against a good UC Irvine team on Tuesday."
The Bulldogs will next be in action on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. as they host UC Irvine at the Wathen Tennis Center.
NCAA MEN'S TENNIS
March 29, 2009 - Fresno, Calif.
No. 39 Fresno State def. UC Santa Barbara, 6-1
Doubles (Fresno State wins the doubles point)
1. No. 31 Siwy/Zapletal (FS) def. Konigsfeldt/Finkelstein (UCSB) 8-3
2. Boutillier/de Villiers (FS) def. Hohenstein/Jurgensen (UCSB) 8-5
3. No. 78 Leiby/Veerepalli (FS) def. Chavez Goggin/Caledonia (UCSB) 8-5
Order of Completion: 1, 2, 3
Singles
1. No. 55 Rudolf Siwy (FS) def. Alexander Konigsfeldt (UCSB) 6-1, 6-2
2. Mirko Zapletal (FS) def. Scott Hohenstein (UCSB) 6-3, 6-0
3. Josh Finkelstein (UCSB) def. Rikus de Villiers (FS) 5-7, 6-4, (12-10)
4. Remi Boutillier (FS) def. Max Taylor (UCSB) 7-6 (7-5), 6-2
5. Tejesvi Veerepalli (FS) def. Taylor Chavez Goggin (UCSB) 6-1, 7-6 (7-2)
6. Taylor Leiby (FS) def. Mathieu Forget (UCSB) 6-2, 6-2
Order of Completion: 6, 2, 5*, 1, 4, 3
"Join the State - Fresno State" - Come see the Bulldogs when they return home to the Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center on March 31 against UC Irvine. Follow the 'Dogs throughout the season on www.gobulldogs.com.
