The 'Dogs take on the Gaels at 2 p.m. on Friday.
Jan. 16, 2013
By Stephanie Juncker
sjuncker@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
Weekly Release
FRESNO, Calif.----The No. 50 Fresno State men's tennis team will begin the spring season at home with three matches at the Spalding. G Wathen Tennis Center. The 'Dogs will begin the three match stretch against Saint Mary's on Friday at 2:00 p.m. then will host a double-header on Sunday starting with Cal Poly at 10:30 a.m., followed by UC Riverside at 3:30 p.m.
ITA Kick-Off Weekend
After the Bulldogs first home stand, the team will travel down to Los Angeles for the ITA Kick-Off Weekend Jan. 25-27. Fresno State will be joined by USC, Georgia Tech and San Diego State.
New Top 'Dog
Evan Austin is in his first season as the head coach of the Fresno State men's tennis team and becomes the seventh head coach in the history of the program and replaces Jay Udwadia, who guided the Bulldogs for the past eight seasons.
Austin was the head coach at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, for the last two seasons where he posted a 45-6 (.882) overall record, won two MVC championships and coached two different conference Players of the Year, as well as winning two MVC Coach of the Year awards.
Fresh Faces
Head Coach Evan Austin has added two new fresh faces for the spring semester. Nikolas Papic and Felipe Fritz join the Bulldogs, both hailing from Santiago, Chile.
"Nikolas will be a great addition to our roster this January," Austin said. "He has had great success on both the junior and men's ITF circuit. He has goals to take his game to the professional level and has exactly the type of mentality we are looking for in a student-athlete. I'm extremely excited to begin working with him this spring."
"Felipe is going to bring a great deal of energy and enthusiasm to our program this spring," said Austin. "He's had great results on both the junior and men's circuit in singles and doubles and I look for him to make an immediate impact for us."
