Derrick Tuskan, Photo Editor

With a 5-5 record the San Diego State men’s tennis team is not where it wants to be.

Even after dominating the University of Portland, 7-0, Saturday in Tucson, Ariz., head coach Gene Carswell feels SDSU has competed well – but not well enough.

“We feel we have a team that can compete with the top-ranked teams,” Carswell said. “And we aren’t ranked now. So this squad still has plenty to prove.”

Senior Benedikt Stronk was first off the courts at No. 1, defeating Pilot James Redpath.

Junior Markus Dickhardt followed at No. 2 when his competition, Scott Kennel, withdrew before the second set was completed.

Stronk and Dickhardt have had success at No.1 this season, but they’re not alone, as even junior Christian Groh has played at the top position – proving to be more than capable.

“I’m sure any of those guys could do well at the top,” Carswell said. “So they will get opportunities to do that.”

Carswell said that the success of the bottom positions below these three players is key if the Aztecs are to win matches against ranked teams.

“They’ve been getting stronger at the bottom (positions), and we’ve still got some work to do down there,” Carswell said. “Once we solidify our positions at five and six, we are going to be a much stronger team.”

SDSU is going to have to battle through this spring season until the end, as it will face tough competition, including rival No. 35 USD and No. 2 Pepperdine.

Freshman Billy Timu will need to continue his hot streak if the Aztecs are to continue their recent winning ways. Timu has won six of his last seven matches, a big reason why SDSU is playing so well.

Carswell, however, said that the teams recent success has been as much a result of the scheduling as it has been the play on the courts.

We have been beating up on teams we should be beating up on,” he said.

The key to reaching the point Carswell feels his team is capable of reaching, Carswell said, is to win the close matches against ranked opponents.

The Aztecs were scheduled to play against No. 59 Arizona on Sunday, but the match was cancelled because of rain and has yet to be rescheduled.

Next up for SDSU is visiting Princeton at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday at Aztec Tennis Center.