Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State Focuses for WAC Tournament
4/23/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 23, 2009
FRESNO, Calif. - The path to a return to the WAC Championship match starts on Friday for the No. 41 Fresno State men's tennis team, when it faces Utah State in the opening round of the WAC Tournament on Friday at 3 p.m. PT in Honolulu, Hawai'i.
The Bulldogs earned the No. 2 seed after finishing the season with a 5-1 WAC record and will face seventh-seeded Utah State, who went 0-6 in conference play.
Fresno State finished the regular season strong by winning 10 of its last 12 matches, and at one point held a seven-match winning streak. The Aggies, on the other hand, finished the regular season by losing their final seven matches, including four of which they were shutout.
The Bulldogs and Aggies have a relatively short series history, and have only met five times, with the Bulldogs winning all five matches. The two schools met 1985 and 1986, but didn't meet again until 2007, and have met every year since. Since the series was restarted, Fresno State has yet to give up a team point to the Aggies.
On April 4 the Bulldogs welcomed Utah State to the Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center by sweeping it, 7-0. This will be the first time the two schools will meet twice in the same year.
Fresno State has advanced to the WAC Championship match each of the last three years. Last season, the Bulldogs met Hawai'i in the finals in Las Cruces, N.M., with the Warriors taking home the WAC title with a 4-2 victory.
The Bulldogs have won the WAC Championship twice in school history, in 1996 and 1999.
The 'Dogs feature the defending WAC Player of the Year No. 61 Rudolf Siwy. A Bulldog has received the WAC Player of the Year honor two of the last three seasons.
If the Bulldogs win on Friday, they will face the winner of the match between Idaho and Hawai'i on Saturday at 6 p.m. PT, setting up a potential rematch of the 2008 WAC Championship. The WAC Tournament will conclude with the championship match on Sunday at 3 p.m. PT.
"Join the State - Fresno State" - Support the Bulldogs as they travel to Honolulu, Hawai'i, for the WAC Championships from April 24-26. Follow the 'Dogs throughout the season on www.gobulldogs.com.
Players Mentioned
