Aztecs' Magic Run Ends In Athens

Men's tennis falls to Virginia Commonwealth in Sweet 16.

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May 20, 2000

ATHENS, Ga. - San Diego State's men's tennis team brought its magic bag of trick here to Athens looking to continue its unprecedented run in the NCAA Tournament against No. 19 Virginia Commonwealth Saturday. Unfortunately for SDSU, it was unable to pull out another upset as the No. 31-ranked Aztec were eliminated from 2000 Men's Tennis Championships by VCU, 4-3, at the Dan Magill Tennis Center.

"We had some big wins this season to get to this point but today we just couldn't close thing out when we needed to," said SDSU head coach John Nelson, following the Aztecs' first ever Sweet 16 match. "Coming into the NCAA Championships we knew this match would be tight, because every team in this tournament is very skilled."

And the match couldn't have been tighter. With the dual tied a 3-3, SDSU junior Matt Bere was unable to hold onto his first-set lead in the No. 5 singles position as VCU's Mats Norin stormed back for a 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 match-clinching victory.

The win at No. 5 by Norin secured a huge comeback for Virginia Commonwealth (25-4), which trailed 2-0 early in the match and 3-2 at the midway point.

Despite the early start time -- 5 a.m. PDT -- San Diego State (17-8) opened the contest sky high, grabbing the doubles point behind wins in the No. 1 and 2 spots. Freshmen Oliver Maiberger and Valentino Pest dented the scoreboard first with an 8-2 win over Norin and Mattias Hoglund before seniors Alex Waske and Adam Webster sewed up the point for SDSU with an 8-4 victory in the top spot against the Rams' No. 19-ranked duo of Daniel Andersson and Frank Moser.

"After winning the doubles point we felt good about our chances," said Nelson, whose Aztecs entered the match 14-0 on the season when winning the doubles point. "But they (VCU) kept fighting and in the end were the better team."

Waske, who will remain in Athens along with Maiberger for the NCAA singles championship, kept things rolling in singles, routing college tennis' No. 2-ranked player, Andersson, 7-5, 6-0 at No. 1 to put the Aztecs up 2-0. The victory was Waske's seventh straight and improved him to 15-1 on the year.

"I started out well in the match and jump a out to a 3-1 lead in the first set," said the Aztec senior. "I got to a point in the match, though, where I felt nervous and out of rhythm and fell behind 5-4. After a long game I broke through to make it 5-5, and I think mentally that was the difference for me winning."

Just two wins away from moving on to the Elite Eight, the Aztecs, however, couldn't close things out. VCU began its comeback with wins from Jose Sanchez, a 6-3, 6-0 victor over Pest at No. 3 singles, and Hoglund, who defeated SDSU sophomore Travis Hasson 6-4, 6-3 at No. 6.

A 6-2, 6-3 win by Webster put the Aztecs back on top, 3-2, but again it wouldn't last as Moser, the nation's No. 17-ranked singles player, became the first opponent to solve the previously-undefeated Maiberger this year in dual match play, defeating the freshman 6-4, 6-3 at No. 2 to set the stage for Norin's match-deciding win over Bere.

2000 NCAA Men's Tennis Championships
May 20, 2000
Dan Magill Tennis Complex
University of Georgia
Athens, Ga.

No. 19 Virginia Commonwealth 4, No. 31 San Diego State 3

Singles
No. 1 Alex Waske (SDSU) def. Daniel Andersson (VCU) 7-5, 6-0
No. 2 Frank Moser (VCU) def. Oliver Maiberger (SDSU) 6-4, 6-3
No. 3 Jose Sanchez (VCU) def. Valentino Pest (SDSU) 6-3, 6-0
No. 4 Adam Webster (SDSU) def. Fernando Sanchez (VCU) 6-2, 6-3
No. 5 Mats Norin (VCU) def. Matt Bere (SDSU) 5-7, 6-2, 6-1
No. 6 Mattias Hoglund (VCU) def. Travis Hasson (SDSU) 6-4, 6-3

Doubles (SDSU wins point, 2-1)
No. 1 Waske/Webster (SDSU) def. Andersson/Moser (VCU) 8-4
No. 2 Maiberger/Pest (SDSU) def. Hoglund/Norin (VCU) 8-1
No. 3 F. Sanchez/J. Sanchez (VCU) def. Gabe Coren/Hasson (SDSU) 8-2

Records: Virginia Commonwealth, 25-4, San Diego State, 17-8.

Match Notes
* San Diego State ends its season with a 17-8 dual match record. Its is the most victories ever produced by a John Nelson-coached Aztec squad and SDSU's highest win total since going 18-4 in 1993.
* Today's loss was the first this season suffered by the Aztecs after winning the doubles point. SDSU had won the doubles point in 14-of-22 matches this year as was a perfect 14-0 in duals in which it had won the doubles point.
* SDSU senior Alex Waske, currently ranked No. 37 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), improved to 15-1 on the year with his straight-set victory today over No. 2-ranked Daniel Andersson (42-6). It is his second win this season over a top-15 ranked opponent and his fifth win this year against a top-30 ranked foe. Waske will begin play in the NCAA singles championship on May 24.
* Aztec freshman Oliver Maiberger had his 21-match winning streak snapped today by VCU No. 19-ranked Frank Moser. It was Maiberger's first loss in dual match play and only his second loss of the season. Maiberger (24-2), who had not lost since Feb. 4, will also remain in Athens to participate in the NCAA singles championship.
* Adam Webster's victory at No. 4 improved him to 14-10, including 12-8 in dual match play.
* Waske and partner Adam Webster, currently ranked No. 37 by the ITA, improved to 9-2 in doubles with their 8-4 victory over VCU's 19th-ranked tandem of Andersson/Moser.