LOS ANGELES – The No. 70 University of Hawai'i men's tennis team will conclude its regular season on the road with four matches, beginning on Tuesday, April 14, at Pac 10 powerhouse and No. 6 USC. UH will then conclude Western Athletic Conference play with three matches, facing No. 73 New Mexico State, No. 19 Boise State, and No. 67 Nevada. All matches will be played in Boise, Idaho.

 

The meeting against the Broncos will be a rematch of the 2008 WAC semifinals match held in Las Cruces, N.M., last April. UH upset nationally ranked Boise State 4-3 in its magical run and ended up capturing the WAC Tournament title and earning its first-ever NCAA Tournament bid.

 

Hawai'i (5-7) dropped seven spots to number 70 in the April 7 ITA rankings, despite winning two of its last three dual matches last week. The Warriors lost a tight 4-3 match at No. 40 Fresno State, but bounced back to sweep both Idaho and Utah State, 7-0. UH is 2-1 in WAC play.

 

Sophomore Dennis Lajola, ranked No. 93 in the latest ITA singles rankings, tied for the team lead with a 13-8 singles record, mainly at the No. 1 position. The sophomore was named Western Athletic Conference Men's Tennis Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 12-18. It was the second time in his career that Lajola has earned the weekly honor. Senior Sascha Heinemann has been playing his best tennis, winning his last six singles matches and now has a 13-7 overall record.

 

 

at No. 6 USC, 1:30 p.m. PT

 

vs. No. 73 New Mexico State, 10:00 a.m. MT

at No. 19 Boise State, 4:00 p.m. MT

 

vs. No. 67 Nevada, 1:00 p.m. MT

 

Scouting No. 6 USC: The No. 6 Trojans are 18-4 on the season, winning their last seven dual matches. All four losses were against top-12 ranked teams. USC has four ranked singles players and a ranked doubles team. Robert Farah is ranked No. 3 and has a 22-4 singles record. Farah was upset by UCLA's No. 45 Haythem Abid and UH's Dennis Lajola beat Abid in straight sets earlier this season. Steve Johnson is No. 67 and has a 26-9 mark. Jack Poldma is No. 74 and Abdullah Magdas is No. 83. The duo of Farah and Johnson is ranked No. 4 in doubles

 

Scouting No. 73 New Mexico State: No. 73 New Mexico State is 11-8 on the season and is 0-2 in WAC play, losing to No. 19 Boise State 6-1, and No. 67 Nevada, 4-3. The Aggies feature no ranked singles players or doubles team.

 

Scouting No. 19 Boise State: No. 19 Boise State is 18-7 on the season and is currently on a seven-match winning streak. The Broncos also have won 11 of its last 12 dual matches. Bose State features three ranked singles players and one ranked doubles team Clancy Shields is ranked No. 26 and is 24-8 on the season. Kean Feeder follows with a No. 70 ranking and has a 22-5 singles mark. No. 71 James Meredith is 16-7 overall. The team of Feeder and Meredith is ranked No. 50 in doubles. The Broncos are 2-0 in WAC play, defeating No. 67 Nevada 5-2, and No. 73 New Mexico State, 6-1.

 

Scouting No. 67 Nevada: No. 67 Nevada is 11-4 on the season and has won five of its last six dual matches. The Wolfpack has a 1-1 WAC mark, defeating No. 73 New Mexico State 4-3 and losing to No. 19 Boise State 5-2. Nevada has one ranked singles player. Wessim Derbel is ranked No. 123 and is 12-2 on the season, mainly at the No. 2 position.

 

WAC Features Top Ranked Teams: The Western Athletic Conference is once again gaining national attention in the rankings, featuring five ranked teams. Boise State leads the WAC ranked No. 19, followed by Fresno State being ranked No. 39 and Nevada is No. 67. The Warriors are No. 70 and New Mexico State is No. 73

 

No Holding Back: Head coach John Nelson, who returns for his sixth season, has once again put together a very competitive schedule. The schedule includes the likes of nationally ranked teams such as Stanford, California, San Diego State, Kentucky, San Diego, St. Mary's, UCLA, Nevada, Boise State, Fresno State, and USC. The Warriors also participated in the prestigious Blue-Gray Classic, facing three consecutive ranked teams in Wisconsin, Middle Tennessee and Oklahoma.

 

UH Hosts WAC Championships: The Western Athletic Conference will be holding its tennis championships in Honolulu at the UH Tennis Complex. The championships run from April 23-26. UH also hosted the WAC Championships in 2005 and 1984. Last season the championships were held in Las Cruces, N.M. UH, the 2008 WAC Champions, will be looking to defend their title at home. 

 

What's Next: The Warriors will next host the WAC Championships from April 23-26, at the UH Tennis Complex.