BOISE, Idaho - Hawai`i's run at its first Western Athletic Conference Men's Tennis Championship came to an end after a 4-0 loss to second-seeded Fresno State, Saturday morning, at the Appleton Tennis Center. The Rainbow Warriors (10-6), conclude a successful season in which the team earned their first ever Intercollegiate Tennis Association computer ranking.

UH had never advanced past the quarterfinals until Friday's 4-1 victory over Nevada. But on Saturday, the 'Bows ran into a hot Bulldog squad, which is after their first WAC title since 1999.

Fresno State grabbed the highly competitive doubles point with wins at the Nos. 1 and 3 courts. UH won at No. 2 after Jeff Fitch and Bryon Weinberg teamed for an 8-5 decision over Charles Irie and Rudolf Siwy. But the Bulldog duo of Jakub Cech and Sam Tadevosian clinched the point with an 8-5 victory over Sascha Heinemann and Chad Faulk at court three.

In singles action, the 'Bows extended four of the six matches to a third set. However the Bulldogs scored straight set wins at No. 2, as Sergiu Modoc defeated Weinberg, 6-4, 6-4, and at No. 4, where Irie handed Faulk a 6-4, 6-4 defeat. The match clincher occurred at the top spot where Cech, ranked 49th nationally, withstood Heinemann, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

"We gave them a run today, as four of the six singles matches were in the third set," UH head coach John Nelson said. "That was a very good team and we were right there with them. But it was a successful season, we were ranked for the first time and made it farther in the conference tournament than ever before. It's a big step in the right direction. I'm proud of our guys, they competed hard and earned the respect of a lot of people here. They were a class-act."

The Rainbow Warriors lose four letterwinners off of this year's squad. Ryan Sceats and Jarrod Diepraam have been doubles partners the past two seasons and have compiled 19 wins. Sceats will finish his career as one of the winningest singles players in school history (66). Diepraam has recorded 32 singles and 40 doubles wins in four years. Weinberg, a three-year starter, came to UH in 2003 after a one-year stint at Ball State and compiled 32 singles wins. Yasuo Sakurai has seen limited action in his two seasons at UH.

Match Results
Fresno State def. Hawai`i, 4-0
Doubles (FS wins doubles point)
1. Gibbs/Modoc (FS) def. Diepraam/Sceats, 8-4
2. Fitch/Weinberg def. Irie/Siwy (FS), 8-5
3. Cech/Tadevosian (FS) def. Heinemann/Faulk, 8-5

Singles (each match worth one team point)
1. Jakub Cech (FS) def. Sascha Heinemann, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
2. Sergiu Modoc (FS) def. Bryon Weinberg, 6-4, 6-4
3. Rudolf Siwy (FS) vs. Ryan Sceats, DNF
4. Charles Irie (FS) def. Chad Faulk, 6-2, 6-2
5. Sam Tadevosian (FS) vs. Jarrod Diepraam, DNF
6. Jordi Ballester (FS) vs. Jeff Fitch, DNF

-UH-