Fresno State Athletics
Thursday, April 26
San Diego, Calif.
3 P.M. PT
Fresno State
vs
Air Force
No. 2 Fresno State to face No. 7 Air Force in MW Championship quarterfinal match
4/25/2018 1:58:00 PM | Men's Tennis
SAN DIEGO – The Fresno State men's tennis team will begin its journey for the 2018 Mountain West Championship Title against Air Force in the quarterfinals on Thursday, April 26 at 3 p.m. PT at the Aztec Tennis Center. The 2018 MW Men's Tennis Championship Tournament will begin on Thursday, April 26 and end on Saturday, April 28.
"We are looking forward to the opportunity to compete for a championship," said head coach Luke Shields. "We are prepared and we have a good mindset going into this tournament. Air Force always competes extremely hard, so we have to be ready to battle every match. Our players have done a good job of improving every week throughout the season. We have played a great schedule, and that has prepared us for this moment. We are looking forward to see what this team can do."
HOW TO FOLLOW
All seven matches of the 2018 Mountain West Men's Tennis Championship will be broadcast live on the Mountain West Network. For complete coverage of the 2018 Conference tournament, visit Championship Central on the MW's official website. Live updates will also be available via twitter (@FresnoStateMTEN).
THE BRACKET
No. 1 Utah State and No. 8 Boise State will kick off the weekend with the first quarterfinal match at 9 a.m. PT. No. 4 UNLV and No. 5 Nevada will be the second quarterfinal match at 12 p.m. PT. No. 3 New Mexico and No. 6 San Diego State will finish the first day of competition with a 6 p.m. PT quarterfinal match.
If Fresno State advances passed the first round of the tournament, the Bulldogs will face the winner of the New Mexico and San Diego State quarterfinal in the semifinals slated for Friday.
QUICK LOOK AT THE 'DOGS
Fresno State finished the regular season with an overall 17-11 (6-1 MW) record. The Bulldogs' 17 wins is a Conference-high this season. Fresno State will enter the match on a three-match winning streak.
Reviewing Conference Play – Fresno State opened up conference play on the road against Air Force (March 23), defeating the Falcons 7-0. The Bulldogs returned home to host New Mexico (April 1), besting the Lobos 4-1. Fresno State took to the road to visit Boise State (April 6) and Utah State (April 8). The Bulldogs split the road trip with a 4-1 win over the Broncos and a 4-2 loss to the Aggies, suffering their first and only conference loss. Fresno State returned home to host UNLV and San Diego State, defeating the Rebels 4-2 and the Aztecs 4-1 to finish conference play. Fresno State's 6-1 MW record is the best conference record in program history. Fresno State joined the MW in 2012.
The Bulldogs finished second in the MW for the second consecutive year, to earn the No. 2 seed in the tournament for the second consecutive year.
Singles Play – Fresno State has excelled in singles this season. Five Bulldogs have 20 or more overall wins this season. Freshman Cem Erturk owns a team-best 30 singles wins. Cagatay Soke has recorded 28 wins, Zdenek Derkas has 26 wins, Henrique Osorio has 22 wins and Jeremy Moser has 20 wins.
In conference, Fresno State is an impressive 26-6 in singles matches. Four Bulldogs were undefeated in conference this season. Derkas lead notched a perfect 7-0 record, playing primarily at the No. 3 position. Erturk earned a 5-0 record and Soke recorded a 3-0 record. Xander Veys owned a 4-2 conference record, leading the Bulldogs at the No. 1 position. Jeremy Moser chalked a 4-1 MW record, playing at multiple positions for Fresno State.
Doubles Play – The Bulldogs were 3-for-7 in doubles points during conference play. Fresno State switched up its doubles lineup for the last three matches of the season, and won back-to-back doubles points to finish conference play.
Mantas Bugailiskis and Youssef Hassan are a solid duo in the Bulldogs' new lineup, having chalked a 2-0 record in their final matches of the season at the No. 3 position. At the No. 2 position, Veys and Soke are .500 with a 3-3 record through conference play. Derkas and Erturk joined to lead Fresno State at the No. 1 position, and have tallied a 1-2 record over the last three matches.
Last Action – Fresno State closed the final week of the season with a 4-1 win over Nevada. The Bulldogs won the doubles point for only the third time in conference play, against Nevada who was 5-for-6 in doubles points going into the match. Moser extended the lead to 2-0 when he recorded the win at the No. 6 position. Nevada got on the scoreboard with a win at the No. 2 position, making it a 2-1 match. Fresno State closed out the match with wins from Veys at the No. 1 position and Derkas at the No. 3 position.
2017 Review – Fresno State finished the 2017 season with an 18-13 (5-2 MW) record. The Bulldogs made a MW Tournament run as the No. 2 seed before falling in the semifinals to UNLV 4-3.
SCOUTING THE FALCONS
Air Force finished the regular season with an overall 11-14 (1-6 MW) record. The Falcons edged out Boise State 4-3 on April 13 to earn their only MW win of the season. Air Force will enter the match on a two-match losing streak.
Paul Hendrix leads Air Force in singles with a team-best 21 wins this season. Hendrix owned a 2-2 record in conference play, playing at multiple positions. Mack Galvin and Tadhg Collins chalked a team-high 14 overall doubles wins, and a 2-1 conference record. The Falcons have two duos with winning records in MW matches.
Last Action – Air Force is coming off a 0-1 week, with a 4-0 loss to New Mexico on April 21.
Series History – Fresno State owns the all-time series 9-1. The Bulldogs have won the last three matches against the Falcons. The last time the Falcons defeated the Bulldogs was in 2016.
"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" - The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.
Follow us on:
Twitter: @FresnoStateMTEN
"We are looking forward to the opportunity to compete for a championship," said head coach Luke Shields. "We are prepared and we have a good mindset going into this tournament. Air Force always competes extremely hard, so we have to be ready to battle every match. Our players have done a good job of improving every week throughout the season. We have played a great schedule, and that has prepared us for this moment. We are looking forward to see what this team can do."
HOW TO FOLLOW
All seven matches of the 2018 Mountain West Men's Tennis Championship will be broadcast live on the Mountain West Network. For complete coverage of the 2018 Conference tournament, visit Championship Central on the MW's official website. Live updates will also be available via twitter (@FresnoStateMTEN).
THE BRACKET
No. 1 Utah State and No. 8 Boise State will kick off the weekend with the first quarterfinal match at 9 a.m. PT. No. 4 UNLV and No. 5 Nevada will be the second quarterfinal match at 12 p.m. PT. No. 3 New Mexico and No. 6 San Diego State will finish the first day of competition with a 6 p.m. PT quarterfinal match.
If Fresno State advances passed the first round of the tournament, the Bulldogs will face the winner of the New Mexico and San Diego State quarterfinal in the semifinals slated for Friday.
QUICK LOOK AT THE 'DOGS
Fresno State finished the regular season with an overall 17-11 (6-1 MW) record. The Bulldogs' 17 wins is a Conference-high this season. Fresno State will enter the match on a three-match winning streak.
Reviewing Conference Play – Fresno State opened up conference play on the road against Air Force (March 23), defeating the Falcons 7-0. The Bulldogs returned home to host New Mexico (April 1), besting the Lobos 4-1. Fresno State took to the road to visit Boise State (April 6) and Utah State (April 8). The Bulldogs split the road trip with a 4-1 win over the Broncos and a 4-2 loss to the Aggies, suffering their first and only conference loss. Fresno State returned home to host UNLV and San Diego State, defeating the Rebels 4-2 and the Aztecs 4-1 to finish conference play. Fresno State's 6-1 MW record is the best conference record in program history. Fresno State joined the MW in 2012.
The Bulldogs finished second in the MW for the second consecutive year, to earn the No. 2 seed in the tournament for the second consecutive year.
Singles Play – Fresno State has excelled in singles this season. Five Bulldogs have 20 or more overall wins this season. Freshman Cem Erturk owns a team-best 30 singles wins. Cagatay Soke has recorded 28 wins, Zdenek Derkas has 26 wins, Henrique Osorio has 22 wins and Jeremy Moser has 20 wins.
In conference, Fresno State is an impressive 26-6 in singles matches. Four Bulldogs were undefeated in conference this season. Derkas lead notched a perfect 7-0 record, playing primarily at the No. 3 position. Erturk earned a 5-0 record and Soke recorded a 3-0 record. Xander Veys owned a 4-2 conference record, leading the Bulldogs at the No. 1 position. Jeremy Moser chalked a 4-1 MW record, playing at multiple positions for Fresno State.
Doubles Play – The Bulldogs were 3-for-7 in doubles points during conference play. Fresno State switched up its doubles lineup for the last three matches of the season, and won back-to-back doubles points to finish conference play.
Mantas Bugailiskis and Youssef Hassan are a solid duo in the Bulldogs' new lineup, having chalked a 2-0 record in their final matches of the season at the No. 3 position. At the No. 2 position, Veys and Soke are .500 with a 3-3 record through conference play. Derkas and Erturk joined to lead Fresno State at the No. 1 position, and have tallied a 1-2 record over the last three matches.
Last Action – Fresno State closed the final week of the season with a 4-1 win over Nevada. The Bulldogs won the doubles point for only the third time in conference play, against Nevada who was 5-for-6 in doubles points going into the match. Moser extended the lead to 2-0 when he recorded the win at the No. 6 position. Nevada got on the scoreboard with a win at the No. 2 position, making it a 2-1 match. Fresno State closed out the match with wins from Veys at the No. 1 position and Derkas at the No. 3 position.
2017 Review – Fresno State finished the 2017 season with an 18-13 (5-2 MW) record. The Bulldogs made a MW Tournament run as the No. 2 seed before falling in the semifinals to UNLV 4-3.
SCOUTING THE FALCONS
Air Force finished the regular season with an overall 11-14 (1-6 MW) record. The Falcons edged out Boise State 4-3 on April 13 to earn their only MW win of the season. Air Force will enter the match on a two-match losing streak.
Paul Hendrix leads Air Force in singles with a team-best 21 wins this season. Hendrix owned a 2-2 record in conference play, playing at multiple positions. Mack Galvin and Tadhg Collins chalked a team-high 14 overall doubles wins, and a 2-1 conference record. The Falcons have two duos with winning records in MW matches.
Last Action – Air Force is coming off a 0-1 week, with a 4-0 loss to New Mexico on April 21.
Series History – Fresno State owns the all-time series 9-1. The Bulldogs have won the last three matches against the Falcons. The last time the Falcons defeated the Bulldogs was in 2016.
"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" - The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.
Follow us on:
Twitter: @FresnoStateMTEN
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Tennis
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/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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