DENVER ? This week, five of seven WAC schools are in action, with three schools set to kick off their spring schedules for the first time. The No. 22-ranked Boise State Broncos will host a pair of duals on Jan. 17 as they welcome Montana State and WAC foe Utah State. Boise State will also play host to the 2008 Mountain Regional Playoffs on Jan. 19 when UNLV comes to Boise to compete. Hawai?i will host ACC powerhouse No. 18 Florida State on Jan. 18 and also welcomes Saint Mary’s to Honolulu on Jan. 19. Idaho will travel to Oregon for a full weekend of matches as they take on Portland State, Oregon, Portland and Weber State. Fresno State kicks off its 2008 campaign on Jan. 20 with the Cal Poly Mustangs coming to Fresno to battle the Bulldogs. The Aggies of Utah State will also take on Montana State in Boise, Idaho on Jan. 18.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK ? Sascha Heinemann of Hawai’i has been named the Western Athletic Conference Men’s Tennis Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 7-13. This is the first WAC Player of the Week honor for Heinemann this season and the second of his career, earning the honor in 2007.
Heinemann, a junior from Eschwege, Germany (Rudolf-Koch Schule), performed brilliantly in the Rainbow Warriors home opener against No. 13 Alabama, Jan. 10, earning a victory at the No. 1 singles position. Heinemann beat No. 98 Mathieu Thibaudeau of Alabama, a tough serve and volley player, in straight sets (6-3, 6-4). His singles win was one of two wins Hawai’i picked up against the SEC powerhouse Crimson Tide. In doubles, Heinemann and teammate Andreas Weber lost a close match to Thibaudeau and Buikema in a tiebreaker, 8-7 (5) at the No. 1 slot.
Other nominees included: Oscar Ericsson of Utah State won both his singles and doubles match at the No. 2 position as the Aggies fell to BYU, 5-2. Ericsson defeated J. Sanchez, 6-7, 2-3 (ret.) in the lone singles win for the Aggies, before partnering up with Fernando Gallegos in doubles to defeat Daniel Hwang and Evan Urbina, 8-6, to help Utah State sweep all three doubles matches to earn the doubles point.
BOISE STATE TO HOST MOUNTAIN REGIONAL PLAYOFF ? The No. 22 Boise State Broncos men’s tennis team will play host to the 2008 Mountain Regional Playoffs on Saturday, Jan. 19, a highly competitive qualifier for the 2008 National Team Indoor Championships. The Broncos enter the Mountain Regional Playoffs as the top seed, hosting No. 2 seed New Mexico, No. 3 seed Utah and No. 4 seed UNLV. All four teams rank within the nation’s top-100 teams, with Boise State (22nd) leading the way, followed by New Mexico (54th), Utah (67th) and UNLV (70th).
The Broncos will face UNLV in the first match on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. New Mexico and Utah will battle in a 12:00 p.m. match with the winners of each semifinal match qualifying for the Mountain Regional final at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday night.
FRESNO STATE’S SIWY EARNS NATIONAL RANKING ? After an outstanding fall season, Fresno State junior Rudolf Siwy has earned a national ranking for his accomplishments. Siwy, ranked No. 92 in the Jan. 8 ITA rankings, is one of only two upperclassmen on a young Bulldogs squad, and is expected to lead the march for Fresno State.
HAWAI?I FALLS TO NO. 13 ALABAMA IN SEASON OPENER ? The Rainbow Warriors put forth a valiant effort against SEC powerhouse and No. 13 Alabama in their first dual match of the 2008 season. Hawai?i (0-1) took the No. 1 and No. 2 singles matches against the Crimson Tide, but fell in the end, 5-2.
In singles play, junior Sascha Heinemann beat No. 98 Mathieu Thibaudeau, a tough serve and volley player, 6-3, 6-4, at the No. 1 position. Rainbow Warrior sophomore Andreas Weber, ranked No. 25, fought back to defeat Saketh Myneni in three exciting sets, 1-6, 6-1, 6-3, at the No. 2 slot. Weber has won seven of his last nine singles matches, dating back to the fall season.
UTAH STATE FALLS TO BYU IN SEASON OPENER ? The Aggies fell 5-2 to No. 68 BYU in their season opener on Jan. 12. Sophomore Oscar Ericsson won at No. 2 singles, 6-7, 2-3 (ret.) against BYU’s Jonathan Sanchez. Utah State freshman Jakob Asplund battled BYU’s Thomas Shubert at the No. 1 position, falling 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
The Aggies also won all three doubles matches to capture the doubles point. Asplund and senior Jonas Tyden teamed up to defeat BYU’s Cassidy Mears and Sanchez, 9-8, at the No.1 position. Ericsson and senior Fernando Gallegos also partnered to take down Evan Urbina and Daniel Hwang, 9-8, at No. 2, while Matt Searle and Mike Banks teamed up to defeat Shubert and Tom Young, also 9-8, at the No. 3 slot.
WAC TOURNAMENT TO BE HELD IN LAS CRUCES ? This season, the Western Athletic Conference Tournament will be held in Las Cruces, New Mexico on the campus of New Mexico State, April 24-27. The 2007 champion, Boise State, will look to win its fourth-straight title. Last season, the host Boise State took the title at the Appleton Tennis Center in Boise, defeating second-seeded Fresno State, 4-0.
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