Tennis: Battle of the Colleges

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego State men’s tennis team will step off campus for its non-conference dual match against Stanford on Wednesday, March 29, when it takes on the Cardinal at Rancho Santa Fe Tennis Club. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. PT. The Aztecs women’s tennis squad will also be in attendance to lend their support throughout the festivities.

SDSU senior Milen Ianakiev (Elz, Hesse, Germany) and freshman Joel Popov (Tampere, Finland) are tied for the team lead with five singles victories apiece in dual-match play, while senior Marko Goles-Babic (Zagreb, Croatia), junior Santiago Cevallos (Queretaro, Mexico) and freshman Rafael Gonzalez Almazan (Madrid, Spain) have recorded four each. Alternating between the two spots in the Aztec rotation, Ianakiev has racked up three wins in the No. 1 position, while Goles-Babic has collected three of his own at No. 2.

In doubles competition, the tandem of Goles-Babic and sophomore Sander Gjoels-Andersen (Klampenborg, Denmark) has compiled four victories this spring, matching the duo of Gonzalez Almazan and Popov. SDSU has emerged with the doubles point in six matches this year. The Aztecs are under the direction of head coach Gene Carswell, who is in 14th season on Montezuma Mesa.

Stanford, meanwhile, is currently ranked 20th by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Cardinal junior Tom Fawcett occupies the 13th spot in the last ITA individual rankings, while sophomore Jack Barber finds himself at No. 89, followed by Michael Genender at No. 92.  Head coach Paul Goldstein is in his second year at the helm of the Stanford program.

The Aztecs and Cardinal met for the first time in 13 years last season, with Stanford posting a 7-0 victory in Palo Alto, Calif.