April 24, 2006
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Women's Tennis Weekly Release in PDF Format
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Fourth-Seeded SDSU Women's Tennis Faces New Mexico in the Quarterfinal Round of the MWC Championships
The fourth-seeded San Diego State women's tennis team (16-7; 6-2 Mountain West Conference) will begin its quest for the MWC's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament when it plays No. 5 seed New Mexico in the quarterfinal round of the 2006 MWC Tennis Championships held at Barnes Tennis Center, Thursday, April 27. Match time is set for 2 p.m.
SDSU, which ended league play in a tie for second with Brigham Young and UNLV and became the fourth seed as a result of tiebreaker scenarios, closed the regular season with a 5-2 win over No. 56 and cross-town rival San Diego, April 19. The Aztecs' top doubles team of Dita Hauerlandova and Sisse Nielsen defeated No. 44 Emma Murphy and Lauren Perl in convincing fashion, 8-1, en route to the doubles point.
The MWC Tennis Championships run from Wednesday, April 26, through Saturday, April 29.
A Look at the Championships
For the fourth consecutive season, San Diego State is playing host to the conference tournament at Barnes Tennis Center. In the previous three years, two different teams have won the title with BYU claiming the past two and SDSU earning the first in 2003. All three times, the Cougars have played in the final match.
As far as this season goes, TCU earned the top seed in its first year in the league and will face the winner of Wednesday, April 26's, play-in match between (8) Air Force and (9) Wyoming Thursday afternoon. BYU is the tournament's No. 2 seed despite losing to the Aztecs earlier this season and will oppose seventh-seeded Colorado State in the first round of Thursday's morning session. UNLV, the three seed, will take on Utah in a 3-6 matchup at 10 a.m. Thursday morning. The featured match, along with TCU's contest will be SDSU and UNM at 2 p.m.
Aztecs in the MWC Tournament
The Aztecs are 11-5 all-time in the MWC Tournament, winning the title once and playing in the championship match on three different occasions. San Diego State has never lost in the quarterfinal round and has posted a shutout four of the previous six tournaments. The past two seasons, SDSU has recorded 4-1 victories in the opening round.
This is the second straight year the Aztecs have been a No. 4 seed. Last season, San Diego State defeated Utah, advancing to the next round to play top-seeded Brigham Young. The Cougars beat the Aztecs, 4-2, en route to the conference crown.
SDSU vs. the Field
Here is a quick look at San Diego State against the rest of the field...
AIR FORCE (9-17; 1-7): The Aztecs are 8-0 all-time against the Academy. SDSU has faced AFA twice before in the tournament and posted a 6-0 win in 2000 and claimed a 4-0 decision the following year.
BRIGHAM YOUNG (18-6; 6-2): In school history, BYU holds an all-time record of 21-17 against the Aztecs, with SDSU winning the last meeting, 4-3, in Las Vegas, Nev. In MWC tournament matches, the teams have split four contests. SDSU lost the first (2001) and fourth meetings (2005) and won the middle two (2002 and 2003).
COLORADO STATE (9-12; 2-6): San Diego State has never lost to Colorado State in 12 all-time tries. Both teams have met twice in league tourney history with the Aztecs posting wins in 2001 (4-0) and 2004 (4-1).
NEW MEXICO (13-7; 4-4): The Aztecs are 15-6 against the Lobos all-time. The two teams have tangled twice in the postseason tournament, with SDSU claiming a 5-4 win in the third-place match in 2000 and the UNM taking 4-0 victory in the 2004 semifinals.
TCU (17-6; 8-0): SDSU is 1-1 all-time vs. the Horned Frogs and has never faced them in the conference tournament.
UNLV (13-6; 6-2): The Aztecs and Lady Rebels have played even over the years as the all-time series is tied at 10 apiece. In MWC tournament history, UNLV has the edge as it has won both meetings in 2000 (5-3) and 2002 (4-2).
UTAH (12-9; 3-5): SDSU has a record of 16-1 vs. Utah in 17 all-time meetings. Two of those wins have come in the MWC tournament as the Aztecs have knocked the Utes out of the first round on both occasions. In 2003, SDSU posted a 4-0 victory and last year won 4-1.
WYOMING (8-14; 0-8): San Diego State has an all-time record of 8-0 against the Cowgirls with a 1-0 mark in conference tournament play. The only meeting occurred in 2002 when SDSU recorded a 5-0 victory in the quarterfinal round.
Last Time vs. New Mexico
Earlier this season, San Diego State traveled to New Mexico and came away with a 4-3 victory over the Lobos. The win was SDSU's fourth straight and gave it its sixth MWC victory of the year. The Aztecs claimed the doubles point after Dita Hauerlandova and Sisse Nielsen upset No. 3 Maja Kovacek and Iva Gersic, 8-3. SDSU secured the point when Esther Cadua and Eliska Krausova notched an 8-4 win at No. 3.
In singles, both squads split six matches with Alesya Vidov tallying a three-set victory over Nora Quintal at No. 2 and Eliska Krausova emerging victorious at No. 3 over Ola Abou-Zekry. The clinching match came at No. 5 as Sisse Nielsen defeated Jennifer Ryba, 6-0, 1-6, 6-4, for her fifth consecutive singles win.
Six is Super
In the seven-year history of the Mountain West Conference, San Diego State has won at least six conference matches four times (2001, 2002, 2003, 2006). This year, SDSU finished league play with a mark of 6-2. Of the previous three occasions, the Aztecs reached the title match of the conference tournament each time, winning the crown in their most recent appearance (2003) and advanced to the NCAA tournament in 2002 and 2003.
Underclassmen Contributions
The Aztecs are getting the most out of their underclassmen this season with four currently holding positions in the singles and doubles lineup. The quartet owns a singles record of at least .500 or better with sophomore Eliska Krausova owning an 15-5 record, while winning 12 of her last 14 matches. Freshman Esther Cadua is 13-10 overall with an 11-6 mark at No. 6, while classmate Milana Yusupov is 14-9 in her first season and has won nine of her last 13. Sophomore Sisse Nielsen, who had a great fall, has won 12 of her last 14 and is 15-7 in the spring. Altogether, the underclassmen have a singles record of 57-31. In doubles, the quartet has played at all three positions with different partners over the course of the season.
Strong Play at No. 3
Eliska Krausova had her nine-match winning streak snapped at UNLV (March 26), but has won 12 of her last 14 matches. Krausova, who plays the majority of the time at No. 3 singles, currently is 15-3 at the position with her only losses coming at Long Beach State, at UNLV and vs. TCU. For the season, the sophomore is 14-5 with her other two losses coming at No. 2 against opponents who were ranked inside the top-20 nationally at match time (No. 3 Amanda Fink (USC) and No. 19 Suzi Fodor (California)).
Yusupov Hitting Her Stride
Milana Yusupov is playing at a high level as evidenced by her winning nine of her last 13 matches. The freshman has played at Nos. 3-5 this season with most of her appearances occurring at No. 4 where she is 11-7. Against CSU, WYO and AFA, she moved up to No. 3 and finished with a 2-1 record, her first two career wins at third singles. In her first collegiate season, she boasts a record of 14-9, the third-best record on the team.
Hauerlandova-Nielsen Connection
Dita Hauerlandova and Sisse Nielsen have been on quite a roll during the last month and a half, winning 10 of their last 12 matches. Included in that streak have been wins over North Carolina State's No. 30 ranked duo, New Mexico's third-ranked tandem and the No. 44 ranked team from San Diego. For the season, the two are 15-7 in the spring at No. 1 doubles and 19-10 for the 2005-06 school year.
Krausova-Vidov Connection
After finishing 0-2 in the fall, Eliska Krausova and Alesya Vidov had never played a match this season in the spring together. All that changed vs. No. 67 UC Irvine, when the two were paired against Inna Agababian-Heidi Kaloi. Although the Aztecs lost the doubles point, the move paid dividends as the duo posted an 8-5 win. Ever since then, the tandem has powered through its opponents en route to a 8-3 record at No. 2.
Doubles Advantage
Winning the doubles point has been a measure of success for the Aztecs as they have gone 12-1 when winning the doubles point this season. On the flip side, San Diego State is 4-6 when dropping the point.
200-Win Club
Head coach Peter Mattera reached the 200-win plateau on April 8 with SDSU's 6-1 victory over Wyoming. Mattera, in his 13th season on Montezuma Mesa, currently has a record of 203-122 with this season being his 11th with double digit victories. Mattera still has a long way to go to catch his predecessor, Carol Plunkett, as she has 299 career wins. In his previous 12 years, the Aztecs have never finished outside of the ITA rankings and only twice has SDSU not finished the season with a record of .500 or better. Adding to his already impressive resume is the fact that he has guided eight Aztec teams to the NCAA Tournament.
Hauerlandova/Nielsen Knock Off No. 3 Doubles Team
Dita Hauerlandova and Sisse Nielsen pulled off one of the biggest victories in SDSU's storied history as they defeated the nation's No. 3 ranked doubles team in Maja Kovacek and Iva Gersic, 8-3. The win was the pair's season-best sixth straight victory and second over a nationally-ranked doubles tandem this year. The two also beat No. 30 Barbara Orlay and Alejandra Guerra of 38th-ranked North Carolina State, 8-2, on March 9.
Aztecs Break Losing Streak to Lobos
With its 4-3 win over New Mexico, the Aztecs snapped its three-match losing skid to the Lobos. In its previous three losses, SDSU had been somewhat overmatched. Last year, UNM posted a 5-2 victory last year by winning the doubles point and then four of six singles matches. In 2004, the Aztecs were shutout twice, losing 4-0 in the semifinals of the MWC tournament and 7-0 in the regular season. Prior to the losing streak, San Diego State had won five consecutive, dating back to the 2000 campaign.
Hauerlandova Earns MWC Player of the Week Award
Senior Dita Hauerlandova was named the MWC women's tennis player of the week on April 12. The award was her first of the season and second of her career and comes after posting a perfect 6-0 combined singles and doubles record in SDSU's victories over Colorado St., Wyoming and Air Force.
Against the Rams, Hauerlandova posted her second win of the season against a ranked opponent when she defeated No. 121 Emily Kirchem at No. 1, 6-2, 5-7, 7-5. The win was Hauerlandova's 50th overall singles victory in her two-plus years on Montezuma Mesa. Earlier in the afternoon, she and Sisse Nielsen had no trouble with Anne Andersen and Kirchem at No. 1 doubles, posting an 8-2 win. SDSU won the match, 5-2.
The next day in the Aztecs' 6-1 victory over Wyoming, Hauerlandova and Nielsen cruised to an 8-1 win over Andrea House/Karolina Rowinski at No. 1 doubles to begin the day. Then in singles, Hauerlandova was first off the court to give the Aztecs a 2-0 lead with her 6-1, 6-2 performance over Rowinski at first singles.
Then in the weekend finale vs. Air Force, Hauerlandova and Nielsen won a hard-fought battle against the Falcon's Kat Bushey/Christine Abayan at No. 1 doubles, 9-7. Later in singles action, Hauerlandova clinched the match for SDSU when she beat Bushey, 6-2, 6-2, at No. 1 singles. The Aztecs wound up pocketing a 5-2 win for its third straight victory.
The senior is the second Aztec to win the league's weekly award this season joining Alesya Vidov, who earned the honor on March 9.
Brooms and Dustpans
Besides the Aztecs winning all three matches at Aztec Tennis Center vs. CSU, Wyoming and Air Force, April 7-9, others, individually, had a perfect run. Dita Hauerlandova and Sisse Nielsen both went 3-0 in singles and together as a team, went 3-0 at No. 1 doubles. Hauerlandova, at No. 1 singles, posted a three-set victory over No. 121 Emily Kirchem of CSU and then went on to tally straight-sets wins over her counterparts from Wyoming and AFA. Nielsen only dropped 10 games in her three matches, all straight-sets victories. Alesya Vidov and Milana Yusupov also went 3-0 in doubles action.
Hagiwara Steps In
With the Aztecs down a player, Yuki Hagiwara stepped into the Aztec lineup and filled in admirably going 2-1, winning her final two matches over the weekend of April 7-9. Despite losing to Jasmin Singh of Colorado State, Hagiwara bounced back the next day vs. Wyoming, defeating Amy Senko, 6-2, 6-2, at No. 6. The win clinched the match for SDSU and was her first win of the season. Then with the outcome already decided and with the rest of her team rooting her on, the junior college transfer pulled out the 4-6, 6-2, 11-9 win over Meghan Kiser of AFA to give the Aztecs their fifth team point.
Hauerlandova Earns Ranking
Senior Dita Hauerlandova holds a No. 84 singles ranking according to the latest ITA poll released April 4. She is 10-12 on the season, all at No. 1, and is coming off three straight wins (April 7-9) and a victory over 18th-ranked Olga Boulytcheva of BYU on March 25. This is the second time Hauerlandova has cracked the poll with her first and highest ranking of No. 81 coming on Feb. 24, 2004.
Eight-Match Winning Streak
San Diego State's eight-match winning streak earlier this season was the school's longest since the 2003 season. That squad also posted eight straight victories en route to a 22-6 record, the MWC Championship title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Ironically, that team started MWC play with a 2-0 record and similar to this year's squad, had its winning streak snapped by UNLV in Las Vegas. Following the loss to the Rebels in 2003, the Aztecs lost only once more before losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
MWC Serves Up Player Of The Week Honors For Vidov
Junior Alesya Vidov was been named Mountain West Conference Women's Tennis Player of the Week, the league office announced March 9. Vidov garnered her first career award on the strength of her performance in a pair of dual matches against Idaho and No.38 Washington.
In the Aztecs' 7-0 shutout of Idaho on March 3, Vidov and Eliska Krausova teamed up to defeat Idaho's Kareen Konishi and Efrat Leopold, 8-5, at the No. 2 doubles spot. Later in singles action, Vidov recorded a straight-set win over the Vandals' Mariel Tinnierello, 6-3, 6-2, at the No. 2 position.
Vidov continued her strong play the following day as the Moscow, Russia, native helped the scarlet and black pull off an upset of No. 38 Washington on March 4. Against the Huskies, Vidov once again combined with Krausova as the Aztec pair routed UW's Tara Simpson and Monika Kolbovic, 8-1, helping SDSU clinch the crucial point in doubles competition. In singles play, Vidov capped off an impressive weekend, rallying from an early deficit to upend the Huskies' Victoria Brymer in a three-set battle, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3).
Front Range Dominance at Sea Level
SDSU continued its dominance against the MWC's Front Range schools as it swept through Colorado State (5-2), Wyoming (6-1) and Air Force (5-2) at ATC. The Aztecs remained perfect against the three teams, sporting a 12-0 record against the Rams, and 8-0 marks vs. both the Falcons and Cowgirls.
Upset City
Alesya Vidov recorded her first win over a nationally-ranked opponent when she defeated 85th-ranked Elsa O'Riain of Harvard, 6-1, 6-2. Prior to her victory, she had not beaten a player ranked in the ITA singles poll in 12 previous tries.
Nice Win
Dita Hauerlandova put the finishing touches on the Aztecs' win over Brigham Young on March 25 when she defeated No. 18 Olga Boulytcheva in three sets, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, at No. 1. The win not only gave San Diego State the match, 4-3, it represented the senior's first win over a nationally-ranked opponent during her two-plus seasons at SDSU.
Climbing the Polls
At the beginning of March, the Aztecs were the No. 54 team in the nation and defeated unranked Idaho, No. 38 Washington and No. 36 Oregon. As a result of those three wins, the ITA moved SDSU up 14 spots to No. 40 the following week and promptly beat 38th-ranked North Carolina State and Wisconsin. Following two more victories, SDSU moved up to 29th nationally in the poll released March 14. That ranking is the Aztecs' best since being ranked No. 25 last season after defeating No. 28 Michigan and No. 8 Washington in consecutive matches. The latest poll released April 18 has San Diego State tabbed 32nd.