Who: UC Davis vs. No. 40 Fresno State; Pacific
Records: Aggies (1-2); Bulldogs (1-0); Tigers (0-1)
Where: Wathen Tennis Center – Fresno, Calif.; Marya Welch Tennis Center
When: Saturday at 4 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m.
Who to watch: Nick Lopez, a sophomore from Miramonte High School, was recently named a Big West Conference Tri-Athlete of the Week. In three matches in Portland, Lopez posted a 2-1 record in singles and a 1-2 mark in doubles play.
For the season, Lopez has seen action in both the No. 1 and No. 2 singles positions, posting a record of 3-2 while sitting 4-6 overall.
Did you know? Not one singles starter for Fresno State is from the United States.
Its No. 1 starter, No. 32 Rudolf Siwy, is from the Czech Republic, as is Mirko Zapletal. Rikus de Villiers is from South Africa, Tejesvi Veerepalli and Siddharth Alapati are from India and Remi Boutillier hails from France.
Preview: When the Aggies compete against the Bulldogs on Saturday, they’ll be facing their toughest test of the season, said coach Daryl Lee.
“Obviously, it should just be a great opportunity to play a team like this,” Lee said. “We have everything to gain.“
Senior Michael Reiser has shown he can be a solid leader for the Aggies at the No. 1 singles position, while Lopez has emerged as a quality starter. Freshman Chris Aria has also shown promise, going 1-0 as the No. 3 singles player.
“I think that the team overall had a great weekend in Portland,” Lee said. “Our players fought hard, had a good attitude – I was impressed.
– Matt Miller
