UNLV: Men host regional again

Steve Carp

Thursday, May 8, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

A year ago, they were hosts and nearly the guests of honor at the party. This time, the UNLV tennis team wants to turn out the lights.

Once again, the NCAA Region 7 men's tennis tournament is at the Fertitta Tennis Complex with the host Rebels in position to advance to the NCAA championships next weekend at UCLA.

But to do so, it will take everyone pitching in and a little home cookin'.

"Last year, we could count on Roger (Pettersson) to win and lead us," said Rebels coach Larry Easley. "This year, we've had to move some people around and it wasn't a mature team.

"But this group has surprised me. Our numbers 2 through 5 singles can beat anybody. And that might be the key for us this weekend. If our numbers 1 and 6 can win, great. But our 2 through 5 have to come through."

UNLV opens the regional Friday against WAC foe New Mexico. If the Rebels win, they'll likely face Fresno State in Saturday's semifinals. UNLV narrowly defeated the Bulldogs 4-3 April 6 in Las Vegas and Easley said it could be another seesaw battle if the two meet.

The finals are set for 1 p.m. Sunday. Southern Cal is the top seed and the Trojans should make it to the championship round.

Will the Rebels join them?

"We have a shot," Easley said. "Playing at home makes a big difference. The altitude, the fast courts and the crowd will definitely help us."

But the biggest boost the Rebels can get is from themselves. They have found ways to win matches when all appeared lost. And while there was no way to compensate for the loss of Pettersson, a two-time All-American, senior Luke Smith and sophomore Asaf Tishler have raised their games to give UNLV a solid 1-2 punch.

"We've become very tough mentally," said Smith, who has posted a respectable 12-9 record playing No. 1 singles. "Everyone seems to bring out their best when it's time to play."

Smith played behind Pettersson last year and he didn't have to face the opposition's best very often. But now that he's at the top rung of the ladder, he conceded the adjustment was tough.

"You're facing a ranked player every time out," said the native of Adelaide, Australia. "Last year, I was playing good players. Now, I'm playing great players.

"But it forced me to raise my level of play. My game's better than it has ever been. And it has made me tougher."

The entire team has taken on that attitude. It is a gritty group, one that refuses to relinquish points or games without a fight.

"Because we don't have really great players, they've had to find ways to win," Easley said of his team, 19-6 and ranked No. 23 in the nation. "It comes down to willpower and being strong at the end."

One of the pleasant surprises has been the play of Tishler, a sophomore from Israel who is 16-3 playing No. 2 singles and 24-8 overall. Senior Julius Pohjola, who has shuttled between Nos. 3 and 5, is 17-5 overall and may be one of the keys to UNLV's success this weekend.

UNLV is also playing some of its best overall tennis. The Rebels have won 9 of their last 11 matches, nearly upending Texas Christian in the WAC championship finals at Corpus Christi April 25. TCU pulled out a narrow 4-3 victory.

"We always try to peak at this time of the year," said Easley. "We almost won the conference, which would've been a tremendous accomplishment. But our guys are playing with a tremendous amount of confidence and playing at home this weekend and getting the fans out should really help us."