April 1, 2009
SAN DIEGO -
Complete Release in PDF Format
Aztecs Return To Action Against Non-Conference Opponents
The San Diego State men's tennis team will travel to Malibu, Calif. to face the Pepperdine Waves on April 2 at 3 p.m. PT. The Aztecs will then take on the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos on April 4 at noon PT at the Fairbanks Ranch Tennis Club in San Diego.
Scouting The Waves
Pepperdine is fresh off a 4-1 loss to No. 10 Baylor on March 29. The Waves took the doubles point but the Bears took four straight singles matches to clinch the win. The No. 18 Pepperdine boasts two ranked singles players and one ranked doubles team. Sophomore Bassam Beidas is ranked 32nd and junior Omar Altmann is ranked 43rd. The two also make up the Waves 10th-ranked doubles team. Adam Steinberg is in his seventh season at the helm of the squad.
Series History vs. Pepperdine
Pepperdine owns the Aztecs' number in the two schools all-time matchups. SDSU has taken only three out of the 15 meetings between the two institutions. The last time San Diego State and the Waves met up was in 2007 when the Aztecs fell, 5-2.
Scouting The Gauchos
UC Santa Barbara will be looking to rebound after its 6-1 loss to Fresno State on March 29. The No. 74 Gauchos boast wins over Pacific Dartmouth, and Utah. Marty Davis is in his eigth season as the head coach of the team.
Series History vs. UCSB
The Aztecs have taken 11 out of the 18 all-time meetings between the two schools. Last season, SDSU topped the Gauchos, 5-2, in Santa Barbara.
Aztecs In The Polls
San Diego State is currently ranked 37th in the nation, according to the first FILA Collegiate Tennis Rankings released March 31 by the Intercollegiate Collegiate Tennis Association (ITA).
The Coaches
Gene Carswell is in his 11th season at San Diego State and sixth as head coach of the Scarlet and Black. In his six seasons at the helm, the Aztecs' mentor has compiled an overall record of 83-50 (.624), while guiding SDSU to three straight Mountain West Conference regular-season titles from 2005-2007. During that stretch, the native San Diegan led the Aztecs to a 17-0 league mark en route to earning three consecutive MWC coach of the year accolades. Prior to his present duties, Carswell was an Aztec assistant for five years from 1998-2003, earning a pair of ITA regional assistant coach of the year honors in 2001 and 2003.
2007-08 Review
SDSU finished the 2008 dual-match campaign with a 13-12 overall record and a 1-5 mark in the Mountain West Conference.
Last Time Out With The Aztecs
San Diego State picked up a win over Harvard on March 25 at the Aztec Tennis Center, downing the Crimson, 6-1. Both squads honored the late tennis coach Tom Hagedorn by holding a moment of silence before the match and wearing black armbands during competition. The Aztecs were to have opened Mountain West Conference play in Colorado Springs on March 27-29 against UNLV, New Mexico and Air Force but the matches were postponed due to inclement weather.