April 18, 2005

LAS VEGAS - The 51st-ranked UNLV men's team is the No. 4 seed and will play fifth-seeded Utah in the first round of the Mountain West Conference Men's Tennis Championship, the league announced Monday.

The tournament will take place April 28-30 at the Barnes Tennis Center on the campus of San Diego State.

The Rebels (15-7 overall and 2-3 in the league) are scheduled to face the 65th-ranked Utes (14-7/1-4) beginning at 2:30 p.m. next Thursday. The winner of that match will take on top-seeded host San Diego State, which enjoys a first-round bye, in one of Friday's semifinals. The championship is scheduled for Saturday, April 30, at noon. In their only regular-season meeting, UNLV downed Utah 4-3 on April 2.

The Rebels, who won three Big West Conference titles in the mid-1990s, are looking to take home their first MWC crown of any type. They are led by leading league MVP candidate Henner Nehles. The 63rd-ranked senior stands 26-8 overall, has won eight straight and went 5-0 in league play.

Head coach Owen Hambrook's squad lost to the host Aztecs a year ago in the semifinals.

MWC MEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPAPRIL 28-30, 2005
FIRST ROUND#1 San Diego State              BYE#4 UNLV vs. #5 Utah             2:30 p.m.
#3 New Mexico vs. #6 Air Force  11 a.m.#2 BYU                          BYE