April 28, 2005
LAS VEGAS - The 55th-ranked UNLV men's tennis team got by No. 75 Utah 4-1 Thursday in a rain-delayed first round match-up at the Mountain West Conference Championship at the Barnes Tennis Center on the campus of San Diego State.
UNLV improved to 16-7 overall with its seventh win over a ranked team this spring while the Utes fell to 14-8. The Rebels now have posted their most victories since 1997 and have tied for the fifth-most wins since 1984.
Unlike their first meeting, which resulted in a tense 4-3 Rebel win, UNLV came out strong in doubles and took both completed matches to capture a 1-0 lead. Winning duos were Henner Nehles and Sean Hubbard at No. 2, which gave Nehles his 20th doubles victory of the season vs. just four losses, and Aviram Salomon and Martin Redelinghuys on court three. The final match was then halted.
In singles play, 95th-ranked Nehles, who was named the 2005 MWC Player of the Year one day earlier, cruised past Tomasz Grzyb at the top spot 6-1, 7-5 to improve to 27-6 overall, 16-5 in dual matches and 50-20 for his career.
Also winning in straight sets was Salomon, 6-1, 6-1 over Nick Coutts at the third spot. After Utah got on the board with a straight-set win at No. 4, Romain Massaro clinched it for the Rebels with a come-from-behind 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 victory over Jason Yap on court five. The remaining two matches were halted.
"First, I was proud of the guys for a spirited effort in doubles, which really gave us a lot of momentum" UNLV head coach Owen Hambrook said. "Then, everyone played with a lot of energy in singles against a solid Mountain West opponent. Now we are looking forward to Friday."
The Rebels have a tough assignment in the semifinals as they will attempt to upset 41st-ranked host San Diego State. The top-seeded Aztecs (15-5, 5-0) did not lose a MWC match in the regular season and enjoyed a first-round bye.
UNLV MEN'S TENNIS RESULTS2005 MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP -- FIRST ROUND#55 UNLV 4, #75 UTAH 1At Barnes Tennis Center, San Diego, CA
DOUBLES: (UNLV EARNS ONE TEAM POINT)1. Kielbowicz/Campbell (UNLV) vs. Yap/Coutts (UU) DNF2. Nehles/Sean Hubbard (UNLV) def. Mann/Scott (UU) 8-63. Salomon/Martin Redelinghuys (UNLV) def. Grzyb/Mascall (UU) 9-7
SINGLES: (UNLV EARNS THREE TEAM POINTS)1. #95 Henner Nehles (UNLV) def. Tomasz Grzyb (UU) 6-1, 7-52. #98 Joel Kielbowicz (UNLV) vs. Miron Mann (UU) DNF3. Aviram Salomon (UNLV) def. Nick Coutts (UU) 6-1, 6-14. Ryan Scott (UU) def. David Campbell (UNLV) 6-2, 6-05. Romain Massaro (UNLV) def. Jason Yap (UU) 3-6, 6-0, 6-16. Jonathan Hooper (UNLV) vs. Dan Mascall (UU) DNF
