April 24, 2004
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara University men's tennis team dropped a 4-3 decision to 40th-ranked San Diego in the second semifinal of the 2004 West Coast Conference Championships at the Degheri Tennis Center. The Broncos (11-13) will fight for third place against Loyola Marymount tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m., as the Lions fell 4-0 to top-seeded Pepperdine in the first semifinal.
The Waves and Toreros will fight for the league crown Sunday at 3 p.m. The winner will receive an automatic bid to the 2004 NCAA Championships, hosted on campus sites beginning May 14-16. Fans can follow WCC play online by Clicking Here.
Pierrick Ysern and Oscar Plotnik opened doubles with a Torero win on court three. Santa Clara countered, as seniors Erich Chen and Gernot Fischer paired together for an 8-6 victory at the top singles court. All eyes then turned to an intense battle on court two. Broncos Eric Kochanski and Ben Hidalgo held a 7-4 lead, but Robbie Blair and Mirza Koristovic were able to win three straight games to tie the match. Later on in the tiebreaker, Santa Clara held a 4-3 opportunity, but saw the Toreros come from behind again to take the court victory and clinch the crucial doubles point.
Chen's doubles win marked the 62nd of his career, placing him atop the Bronco record book for combined doubles victories. He surpasses Michael Bruggemann, who netted 61 from 1999-2003.
Nic Beuque picked up San Diego's second point with his 6-1, 6-4 win over freshman Kevin McQuaid on court four. The Toreros added another point when Bronco Gernot Fischer turned his ankle on court one and had to retire mid-match. San Diego clinched the victory with Jeff Das' three-set win on court six.
"Losses hurt, but we need to regroup and bring everything in the world tomorrow to get it done," head coach George Husack said. "I have every confidence that our guys will go out and finish this tournament with a win."
San Francisco defeated Gonzaga 5-0 in the first match of the day.
No. 40 San Diego def. Santa Clara 4-3
Doubles
1. Chen/Fischer (SCU) def. Pongsrikul/Beuque (USD) 8-6
2. Blair/Koristovic (USD) def. Ben Hidalgo / Eric Kochanski (SCU) 9-8 (4)
3. Ysern/Oscar Plotnik (USD) def. Bedilion/McQuaid (SCU) 8-3
Singles
1. No. 58 Pierrick Ysern (USD) def. No. 119 Gernot Fischer (SCU) 6-3, 1-1, ret. inj.
2. Taylor Bedilion (SCU) def. Robbie Blair (USD) 7-6, 5-4, def.
3. Erich Chen (SCU) def. Jason Pongsrikul (USD) 7-5, 6-7, 0-0 def.
4. Nic Beuque (USD) def. Kevin McQuaid (SCU) 6-1, 6-4
5. Francisco Zepponi (SCU) def. Mirza Koristovic (USD) 5-7, 5-6, def.
6. Jeff Das (USD) def. Bobby Rasmussen (SCU) 7-5, 2-6, 6-1*
* Clinched Team Victory