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Weekly Men's Tennis Notes.pdf
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PLAYER OF THE WEEK - Fresno State's Alex Krohn, a junior from Santa Rosa, Calif., defeated Jorgen Vestli 6-4, 6-4 at No. 6 singles to clinch the Bulldogs 4-3 win over South Alabama. Krohn also added a win with partner Andy Sinn to clinch Fresno States doubles point. The win extended the Bulldogs winning streak to seven matches, the teams longest since the 1999-00 season. Krohn is now 8-4 on the dual season.
OTHERS NOMINATED - Rodrigo Gabriel of Rice came back to defeat Colorados Chad Tsuda in three sets after dropping the first set, 6-0. He also won his other match of the week, defeating Texas-Pan Americans Nik Porter, 6-4, 6-7 (10-7) ... Ryan Livesay of Tulsa posted a 6-4, 6-4 upset win over Aubruns 78th-ranked Gagor Zoltan Pelva in the No. 2 singles spot. He also picked up a 6-4, 6-2 win over UTAs Nathan McGregor from the No. 1 singles.
AROUND THE WACBoise State - The Broncos round out WAC play with three matches at home, taking on Idaho, Montana and Hawaii. Boise State hosts the 2003 WAC Championship, beginning Apr. 25. The Bronco duo of Marcus Berntson and Guillaume Bouvier are currently ranked 58th in the country by ITA.
Fresno State - On the wave of a seven-match winning streak, Fresno State completes its longest homestand of the year and the regular season schedule taking on No. 26 Pepperdine then host Cal Poly and Nevada on Saturday. The Bulldogs defeated South Alabama 4-3 in their lone match last week. It was the Bulldogs seventh victory in a row, the team's longest streak since the 1999-00 season. The Bulldogs also boast the nations 23rd ranked doubles team in Hector Almada and Sergio Modoc.
Hawaii - The Rainbows travel to the mainland to finish out their 2003 schedule. Hawaii looks to up their 13-10 record, facing Air Force, Denver and Boise State before staying in the Land if Trees for the WAC Championship.
Nevada - Nevada concludes its regular season with a conference match against Fresno State in California. The Wolf Pack are looking for their sixth win of the season before entering the conference tournament.
Rice - The 30th ranked Owls upped their record to 17-6, picking up a 4-3 win over the Buffalos of Colorado. Rice currently has the nations top doubles team in William and Richard Barker. The duo is 14-0 on the season. The pair will be put to the test as they will most likely face Texas 18th-ranked duo Jean Simon and Jose Zarhi, Apr. 16. After Texas, Rice finishes the regular season at home with matches against Lamar and SMU.
SMU - The Mustangs conclude their regular season in Houston, taking on Rice. They then travel to Boise for the 2003 WAC Championship. The SMU pair of Johan Brunstrom and Henrik Soderberg came in ranked 43rd in this weeks ITA doubles ranking.
Tulsa - The Hurricane upset Auburn, 4-3, picking up their second top-25 upset of the season (No. 13 North Carolina). Tulsa finishes its season in state at Stillwater, facing the Cowboys of Oklahoma State.
2003 WAC TOURNAMENT The 2003 WAC Tournament begins April 25, with the championship match on Sunday, April 27. This years tournament will be played at the Appleton Tennis Courts on the campus of Boise State. The 2002 champion SMU Mustangs will look to defend their title, but Rice heads into the tournament with the most wins.
PATTON NAMED HEAD COACH AT BOISE STATE - Former Bronco head coach Greg Patton, who led the Bronco mens tennis team from 1992 through 1998, has been rehired to again serve as the mens tennis head coach. From 1992 through 1998, Patton led the Broncos to five conference championships, with his teams making four NCAA Regional Tournament appearances and the 1997 team finishing fifth nationally. Patton was named NCAA Coach of the Year in 1997 after the Broncos top five national finish. In addition to his national coach of the year honor while at Boise State, Patton was also named conference coach of the year five times. His Bronco coaching record is 135-48 for a 73.8 winning percentage.
ITA RANKINGS - Rice enters this weeks ITA rankings 30th. Fresno State fell to 44th, with SMU behind them at 49. Boise State is 53rd while Tulsa (56) rounds out WAC teams in the top 75. The Rice twin duo of juniors Richard and William Barker return to No.1 in the nation, after falling to second in the March 26 release. The two won the 2002 Omni Hotels National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships doubles title in November. It was the first indoor national men's doubles title in Rice history. Fellow Owl, freshman Robert Searle, is currently the WACs highest ranked playerat No. 28, with fellow Owl, Richard Barker behind him at 29th.