LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The University of Hawai'i men's tennis team made program history with a 4-2 win over Fresno State in the finals of the Western Athletic Conference Championship Sunday at the Aggie Tennis Center. With the win UH captured its first-ever WAC title and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

"I couldn't be more proud of our guys," head coach John Nelson said. "It was a very hard match and they came through. They battled for three straight days and it's gratifying to see their hard work pay off."

The Rainbow Warriors now advance to the NCAA Regionals, May 9-11, at a school site to be determined. It's UH's first-ever NCAA appearance since the tournament went to a 64-team format.

The fourth-seeded Rainbow Warriors fell behind 1-0 after second-seeded Fresno State earned the doubles point with wins at the No. 1 and No. 3 positions. But UH responded by winning four of five singles matches, including a 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 title-clinching victory by Spence Mendoza over Martin Nilsson at the No. 5 court.

No. 108-ranked Sascha Heinemann tallied the first win over Fresno State's Mirko Zapletal, 6-3, 6-3, at the No. 2 position, while Dennis Lajola took down No. 83-ranked Rudolf Siwy, 7-6, 6-4, at the No. 1 spot. Jeff Fitch earned the Rainbow Warrior's third point with a win over Siddharth Alapati, 6-1, 2-6, 6-2, at the No. 6 position, before Mendoza's title-clinching win with UH clinging to a 3-2 lead.

Hawai'i beat No. 5 Idaho, 4-1, in the quarterfinals and upset first-seeded and three-time reigning champion Boise State, 4-3, in the semifinals en route to the finals. UH improved to 8-10 overall with its sixth straight win, while Fresno State, ranked No. 49 by the ITA, fell in the WAC finals for the third straight year.

Tennis Match Results
Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors vs. Fresno State
Apr 27, 2008 at Las Cruces, N.M. (NMSU Tennis Center)
No. 4 Hawai'i 4, No. 2 Fresno State 2

Singles competition
1. Dennis Lajola (UH) def. #83 Rudolf Siwy (FS) 7-6, 6-4
2. #108 Sascha Heinemann (UH) def. Mirko Zapletal (FS) 6-3, 6-3
3. Tejesvi Veerepalli (FS) vs. Andreas Weber (UH) 7-6, 4-6, 1-2, unfinished
4. Denny Fafek (FS) def. Craig Faulk (UH) 6-4, 6-3
5. Spence Mendoza (UH) def. Martin Nilsson (FS) 2-6, 6-4, 7-5
6. Jeff Fitch (UH) def. Siddharth Alapati (FS) 6-1, 2-6, 6-2
Order of Finish: 2, 4, 1, 6, 5*
Did Not Finish: 3

Doubles competition
1. Rudolf Siwy/Mirko Zapletal (FS) def. Andreas Weber/Sascha Heinemann (UH) 8-3
2. Dennis Lajola/Jeff Fitch (UH) def. Denny Fafek/Taylor Leiby (FS) 8-4
3. Tejesvi Veerepalli/Siddharth Alapati (FS) def. Spence Mendoza/Craig Faulk (UH) 8-4
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3

Match Notes:
Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors 8-10; National ranking #92
Fresno State 17-9; National ranking #49
WAC Men's Championship Match
Fresno State - No. 2 Seed
Hawai'i - No. 4 Seed
Hawai'i 2008 WAC Champion

-UH-