Aztecs to await seeding for MW Championship
Source: goaztecs.com
Photo: Santiago Cevallos provided the clinching point at No. 4 singles on Saturday vs. UNLV. Courtesy goaztecs.com
April 22, 2017 (San Diego) - San Diego State dialed up its fourth consecutive 4-2 victory on Saturday, defeating Mountain West rival UNLV in the regular-season finale for both squads at Aztec Tennis Center.
With the win, SDSU finished its 2017 spring slate with a 9-14 record and a 4-3 mark in conference play, while the Rebels saw their six-match winning streak come to a halt, falling to 17-8 overall and 4-3 in the MW.
For the third straight dual, the Aztecs captured the doubles point, but it wasn’t easy as the Scarlet and Black prevailed in a pair of tiebreakers to grab a 1-0 lead.
The recently installed tandem of senior Marko Goles-Babic and freshman David Hough once again paid dividends for SDSU, posting a 7-6(5) triumph over Alexandr Cozbinov and Richard Solberg on court No. 3, while the Aztec duo of sophomore Sander Gjoels-Andersen and freshman Nicholas Mitchell soon followed with a nearly identical 7-6(2) decision over Adam Gage-Brown and Ruben Alberts in the No. 2 spot. The top of the rotation also witnessed a tight battle, as senior Milen Ianakiev and junior Santiago Cevallos found themselves locked in a 6-6 barnburner with Jakob Amilon and Evaldo Neto before the match was stopped.
UNLV answered with a pair of victories at the outset of singles competition to stake a brief 2-1 lead. Aztec freshman Rafael Gonzalez Almazan kept things close in his match with Charlie Croxford at No. 6, before suffering a 7-5, 6-4 defeat, while Gjoels-Andersen fell victim to Neto in the third spot, 6-4, 6-4.
However, SDSU would not be denied on this day, closing with three impressive wins to secure the match. Ianakiev sparked the comeback with a 6-3, 7-5 triumph over Cozbinov in the No. 2 position, while at the top of the ladder, Goles-Babic remained unbeaten in MW play at 5-0 after outlasting Amilon in three sets, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Moments later with the Aztecs maintaining a precarious 3-2 advantage, Cevallos delivered the clinching point at No. 4, weathering another three-set affair against Alberts, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
The final dual remained unfinished as freshman Joel Popov trailed 5-3 in the third set of his encounter with Solberg at No. 5 after splitting the first two, 6-3, 0-6.
San Diego State will now await word of its seed for the MW Championship, set for April 28-30 in Boise, Idaho.
San Diego State 4, UNLV 2
April 22, 2017
Aztec Tennis Center
San Diego, Calif.
Doubles
1. Santiago Cevallos/Milen Ianakiev (SDSU) vs. Jakob Amilon/Evaldo Neto (UNLV), 6-6, DNF
2. Sander Gjoels-Andersen/Nicholas Mitchell (SDSU) def. Adam Gage-Brown/Ruben Alberts (UNLV), 7-6(2)
3. Marko Goles-Babic/David Hough (SDSU) def. Alexandr Cozbinov/Richard Solberg (UNLV), 7-6(5)
Order of finish: 3, 2
SDSU wins doubles point
Singles
1. Marko Goles-Babic (SDSU) def. Jakob Amilon (UNLV), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
2. Milen Ianakiev (SDSU) def. Alexandr Cozbinov (UNLV), 6-3, 7-5
3. Evaldo Neto (UNLV) def. Sander Gjoels-Andersen (SDSU), 6-4, 6-4
4. Santiago Cevallos (SDSU) def. Ruben Alberts (UNLV), 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
5. Joel Popov (SDSU) vs. Richard Solberg (UNLV), 6-3, 0-6, 3-5, DNF
6. Charlie Croxford (UNLV) def. Rafael Gonzalez Almazan (SDSU), 7-5, 6-4
Order of finish: 6, 3, 2, 1, 4*
* - Match-clinching victory
Records:
SDSU (9-14, 4-3 MW); UNLV (17-8, 4-3 MW)