April 6, 2006
Santa Clara, Calif. - Santa Clara has faced its share of tough opponents throughout the season and this weekend will be another chance to go up against one of the nation's best teams this weekend. Three matches in two days are on tap for Santa Clara and No. 22 Boise State will be the first squad up on Saturday afternoon. Montana State follows on the same day, though only doubles will be played. Sunday morning will see the completion of the Santa Clara-Montana State contest, with singles matches, followed by a dual meet with Idaho.
"I like the format as it is both challenging and creative," said head coach George Husack on how the match with Montana State has been laid out this weekend. "It provides us the opportunity to test our competitiveness throughout the weekend and keeps us on our toes. I believe it is taking place at the right time of the season as our guys continue to improve competing at a high level."
Boise State currently owns a 14-4 record in 2006 and both its matches this week with Fresno State and Stanford were cancelled due to rain. Sophomore Luke Shields occupies the top spot for the Broncos and his ranking of No. 29 is justified after beating many top players this year. Providing depth in the line-up has been senior Thomas Schoeck, ranked No. 122 in the country, sophomores Eric Roberson and Brent Werbeck, and freshman Clancy Shields. Greg Patton has been at the helm of the Boise State men's tennis program since 2003, but he served as the head of the Bronco team from 1992-1998.
"Boise State is a tough program with strong players throughout their lineup. They are a tight and passionate group which I feel will make for a very interesting match," commented Husack.
Montana State boasts a 9-9 overall record, with its latest victory coming against Sacramento State last weekend. Seniors Jake Berriochoa, Tejeshwara Chigateri, Federico Ueltschi, Marek Gebicki are the leaders of the Bobcats, while sophomore Kyle McDonald adds youthful energy to the starting line-up. Ueltschi is currently ranked No. 123 in the country. Mike Phillips is in his fifth year as the head coach of the Montana State men's tennis program and he was named the 2005 Big Sky Coach of the Year.
Idaho is coming off of a 4-2 loss to Northern Arizona and its season record currently stands at 2-17. Freshman Tim Huynh occupies the top spot for the Vandals, while sophomore Anthony Karlovic and senior John Hieb are among the squad's top players. Freshmen Paulo Miranda and Joel Trudel have also made a huge impact for the team in the starting line-up. Katrina Perlman is in her third year at the helm of the men's tennis program at Idaho and is also in her second year as the head coach of the women's tennis team.
"This will be the first time we compete against both Montana State and Idaho. Montana has been nationally ranked so they've proven that they can win at any level," stated Husack. "I believe this match will be very important for us as it will impact our energy on the final day against Idaho."