ON TAP IN WAC MEN’S TENNIS ? No. 55 Hawai?i headlines this weeks action as the Rainbow Warriors take on No. 25 in Honolulu on Thursday. Utah State hits the road to Provo, Utah to take on No. 70 BYU on Friday before heading home to play host to Eastern Washington on Sunday. League-favorite, No. 37 Boise State, hosts Oregon to round out conference action for the week.
TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Boise State Broncos
After winning the 2008 Mountain Region title the No. 37-ranked Broncos begin their season at home this Sunday against Oregon ... senior Clancy Shields, the No. 22-ranked player in the nation, looks to get off to a quick start in the spring season ... BSU is the highest ranked team in the WAC and have a total of five singles players and a doubles team ranked in the ITA Mountain Region rankings, including Shields at the No. 1 spot ... rounding out the regional rankings for Boise State is Kean Feeder who sits in the No. 4 spot, Christian Hodel (No. 19), Blaine Shields (No. 22) and Stanley Sarapanich (No. 26) ... the doubles team of Clancy Shields and Feeder hold the No. 3 spot in the region.
Fresno State Bulldogs
After a disappointing 4-2 loss to league-champion Hawai?i in the conference championship last year, the Bulldogs look to rebound for the 2009 spring season ... FS has earned a No. 41 ranking in the preseason polls and is poised to be a contender in the conference ... team-leader Rudy Siwy is coming off a run to the semifinals at the ITA Northern California Championships that earned him a No. 32 ranking in the nation ... the Bulldogs also boast the only nationally-ranked doubles team in conference with Siwy and teammate Mirko Zapletal garnering a No. 24 ranking ... the team opens its 2009 campaign with match against Cal Poly on Jan. 25 in Fresno, Calif.
Hawai?i Rainbow Warriors
The Rainbow Warriors will look to repeat as WAC champions after their first-ever conference title last season ... sophomore Dennis Lajola leads the squad with his No. 56 national ranking ... Lajola is also ranked No. 7 in the West region with teammate Sascha Heinemann (no. 15) ... the doubles duo of Heinemann/Andreas Weber sits at the No. 14 spot in the region ... UH opened its season with a 23-6 loss at the hands of No. 36 Kentucky ... freshman Leo Rosenberg was the highlight for the home-team as he upset No. 37 Eric Quigley in straight sets, 7-6, 7-6 ... the win marked the second straight competition Rosenberg has knocked off a ranked opponent ... UH will next play Pac-10 powershouse and No. 25 California on Thursday.
Idaho Vandals
Idaho enters the spring with two singles players ranked in the region, as Rob Chalkey and Artem Kuznetsov were recognized for the solid performances ... Kuznetsov, the WAC Men’s Tennis Player of November, earned a No. 28 in the ITA Mountain Region Rankings ... but it was senior Rob Chalkey coming in at the No. 21 ranking ... sophomore transfer Alexandru Joitoiu will see his first action since transferring from nationally-ranked Oklahoma in the winter ... UI opens the season on Jan. 24, in Lewiston, Idaho with matches against Lewis and Clark State College and Whitman College.
Nevada Wolf Pack
The Wolf Pack open its season with back-to-back matches against Northern Arizona and Arizona on Jan. 24 ... both matches will be played in Tuscon ... lone-senior Benjamin David returns with an 8-15 singles record during the 2007-08 season, including five consecutive wins to finish the season ... junior Alex Daruty made it to the third day of the ITA Regional Championship in mid-November before falling to WAC foe Mirko Zepletal of Fresno State, 6-4, 6-2, in the Consolation Round of 32 ... junior Laurent Garcin leads the team this season after registered a school record with 27 wins during his 2007-08 campaign.
New Mexico State Aggies
NMSU enters the 2009 season with three players ranked in the mountain region ... junior Gustave Diep comes in at No. 10 in the ITA Mountain Region, while senior Roman Stoisavljevic is ranked No. 13 and sophomore Jim Brouleau at No. 16 ... in the doubles rankings, Stoisavljevic and junior Eduardo Salas earning a ranking of No. 9 regionally and Brouleau and Diep at two spots behind them at No. 11 ... this year, the Aggies look to improve on their school-best third-place finish in last years’ WAC Championship ... the team prepares for three-straight home matches beginning with Northern Arizona on Jan. 31 before a double-header against Abilene Christian and Western New Mexico on Feb. 1.
Utah State Aggies
Sophomore Jakob Asplund leads the Aggies after a stellar fall season when he won four singles matches at the ITA Regionals in mid-October ... the junior from Sweden won the consolation bracket to earn him a No. 18 ranking in the mountain region going into the 2009 season ... Asplund’s pairing with fellow-sophomore Bryan Marchant creates a dangerous doubles duo ... Utah State opens the 2009 season on the road at rival BYU (No. 70) on Friday and then get ready for a home match against Eastern Washington of the Big Sky on Sunday ... the team then prepares for its in-state rival Utah on Jan. 24, the Utes are currently ranked No. 66 in the nation ... the match is scheduled to be in Salt Lake City.