SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State men's tennis team resumes its spring schedule this week when it welcomes UC Davis to The Mesa on Friday, March 5 for a non-conference dual match, starting at 2 p.m. PT.
Following a 14-day hiatus, SDSU (2-3) posted its first two victories of the season on Feb. 26, after defeating UC San Diego in a doubleheader by scores of 4-2 and 5-0.
Against the Tritons, freshman Judson Blair was one of many standouts for the Scarlet and Black, collecting four wins on the day for his first career victories in both double and singles competition.
In other singles action, fellow classmate Roni Rikkonen emerged triumphant for the first two times in an Aztec uniform, while sophomore transfer Johannes Seeman improved to 3-2 on the year with a pair of wins in the No. 1 position.
In doubles play, Blair combined with another newcomer, sophomore Victor Castro, for two victories at No. 3, which clinched the early point in both matches, while Seeman paired with Aaro Pollanen for a win at No. 1 in the first encounter.
However, SDSU was unable to build on the momentum from that sweep, suffering a 4-0 loss to UC Irvine two days later on Feb. 28.
The Aggies (1-4), meanwhile, snapped a four-match losing streak on Feb. 25 when they edged Nevada by a 4-3 count at home. UC Davis has faced one another Mountain West school this season, falling to Fresno State in a 7-0 whitewash on the road in its opening match Feb. 12.
The Aggies have been led thus far by the trio of Ivan Thamma, Andrei Volgin and Arjith Jayaraman, who have each recorded a pair of victories in singles play. Thamma has played exclusively at the top of UC Davis' ladder; Andrei Volgin has seen action primarily at No. 3, while Jayaraman has alternated between the fourth and fifth spots.
In addition, Volgin has joined forces with Mitchell Davis to post a 4-0 record in doubles, including a 3-0 mark in the No. 2 position, to go with another victory at No. 3.
SDSU leads the all-time series vs. the Aggies 2-1, logging consecutive 4-0 shutouts in 2019-20 following a narrow 4-3 defeat in 2017. All three encounters have been staged at Aztec Tennis Center.
Rafael Gonzalez Almazan and Ignacio Martinez are the lone SDSU returners to post a victory in last season's match, combining for a 6-3 conquest of Thamma and David Goulak in the No. 1 position to clinch the doubles point for the Aztecs.
Martinez and Pollanen also competed in singles, but their matches were abandoned after the Scarlet and Black secured the necessary four team points for the victory.
UC Davis is one of five Big West programs San Diego State will face this year. In addition to the aforementioned results vs. UC San Diego and UC Irvine, the Aztecs experienced a 5-2 setback at the hands of Cal Poly in their season opener at home on Feb. 4. SDSU has also added UC Santa Barbara to its schedule this season, squaring off against Gauchos on Wednesday, April 28.
Since 1989, the Aztecs have compiled an 80-28 record against current members of the Big West.
Following Friday's clash, San Diego State continues its homestand next week when it plays host to former Mountain West rival Utah on Wednesday, March 10, before battling Boise State in its conference opener on Saturday, March 13. The Aztecs-Utes match gets underway at 2 p.m. PT, while the SDSU-Broncos showdown is set for noon.