April 1, 2008

SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State men's tennis team closes out the home portion of its 2008 schedule on Wednesday, April 2, when it plays host to Hawai'i in its final non-conference dual match of the regular season beginning at 1:30 p.m. PDT at Fairbanks Ranch Country Club in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. SDSU (10-6) chalked up a spirited 5-2 victory at 64th-ranked UC Santa Barbara in its last outing on March 29, while the Warriors (2-9) are coming off a 5-2 loss at No. 11 Tulsa on the same day.

With a dearth of seniors on the roster, the 48th-ranked Aztecs have been sparked by the recent play of sophomore Matan Shitrit (Tel Aviv, Israel), who has become a force in the top half of the SDSU singles rotation, winning six of his last eight matches alternating between the No. 1 and No. 2 positions. Freshman Danny Heidecker (Wesel, Germany) has also been on a roll of late, pocketing a season-high five straight victories to raise his record to 12-6 on the season. Not to be outdone, fellow classmate Andre Feliz (San Gabriel, Calif.) has impressed in his rookie campaign as well, leading the squad with 13 wins overall. Meanwhile in doubles action, sophomore Achim Ceban (Moscow, Russia) and freshman Tim Schulz van Endert (Berlin, Germany) have given the Scarlet and Black a tremendous boost this season as evidenced by the duo's nine-match winning streak.

The Warriors are led by sophomore Andreas Weber, who sports a 10-3 record and is ranked No. 107 in the latest ITA singles poll. Last season, Weber qualified for the NCAA Division I singles championships en route to winning the ITA West Region's Rookie of the Year award. Meanwhile, junior Sascha Heinemann has earned a No. 115 ranking on the strength of a 14-5 overall mark. At the controls for Hawai'i is fifth-year boss John Nelson, who coached the Aztecs from 1994-2003, highlighted by an appearance in the round of 16 at the 2000 NCAA tournament. The Warriors have been somewhat snake bit this season as five of their nine losses were decided by one point.

San Diego State is undefeated in eight meetings with UH dating back to 1989, including a 6-1 victory last season in Honolulu. In that contest, the Warriors surprised the Aztecs by capturing the early doubles point before the Scarlet and Black responded with a sweep in singles competition, winning all six encounters in straight sets. Hawai'i last visited Montezuma Mesa in 2005, when SDSU recorded a 7-0 shutout in the fifth-ever match at Aztec Tennis Center.

The two schools have already crossed paths this season in two matches at the ITA West Regional Championships in October. Andre Feliz posted his first victory as a collegian with a 7-5, 6-2 decision over Spencer Mendoza in the opening round. However, Achim Ceban was not as fortunate as Sascha Heinemann overcame an early deficit to knock off the Aztec sophomore, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, in the round of 64.

Following its clash with Hawai'i, SDSU opens Mountain West Conference play this weekend when it squares off against Air Force, Utah and New Mexico on consecutive days, April 4-6, in Albuquerque, N.M.