Netters set for Big West Conference play
An 8-9 regular season record and a No. 9 tournament seeding may make a shot at the Big West Championship seem like a daunting task, but the Utah State women’s tennis team has confidence.
Tournament play – in Danville, Calif., about 20 miles east of Oakland – starts Thursday for the Aggies, when they take on No. 8 UC Riverside. The winner will move on to play No. 1-seeded Cal Poly on Thursday, while the loser will play for ninth place.
“I think we can do really well,” said USU’s Andrea Hansen. “We play Cal Poly in the second round if we win our first, so hopefully we win our first – we will.”
If the Aggies advance, it would be their second meeting with the Mustangs. Cal Poly defeated Utah State 7-0 on March 11.
Aggie Carolyn Larsen said she wants to play the Mustangs again, because she feels the team is playing better now than it was at the time of the first match up.
“We weren’t doing our best at that time,” she said. “I think now we’ll be a lot more prepared and have a little revenge in our blood.”
But just because the players are looking forward to possibly playing Cal Poly doesn’t mean they are overconfident and looking past UC Riverside (9-13). They are just sure of their abilities.
“They have about the same record [as us], but the teams that we [both] beat, we beat a little bit better,” said USU co-captain Caroline Pollock. “We should be able to handle them.”
The teams shared six opponents in common, with UCR going 2-4 and the Aggies 3-4 (they played Idaho State twice).
Utah State Head Coach Chris Wright said he is encouraged about the team’s chances because he feels they have underachieved this season.
The team’s eight wins is the most since the 2000 season, and it is only two wins away from an all-time best, but narrow losses to rivals Weber State and Idaho State could have easily gone the other way.
“All year long I’ve been telling these girls that they have the potential,” Wright said. “I feel like we could have won every match we played. That’s not just being a blind optimist. I really believe in the talent level, and I think sometimes we haven’t gone out mentally and been as focused as we should have, and that cost us the match.
“Not that I’m being negative, but I did, I expected to win more matches. I want the girls to know that we expect them to go in and win – win this first round and then think about the next round,” he said.
One thing Riverside will have in its favor, though, is having played most of the season at a lower elevation. At sea level, the ball flies slower and creates longer points, something the Aggies aren’t too used to.
Utah State made one trip to California – a three-match swing against Big West Conference foes – that may serve to help ease the
transition.
“I don’t think it’s an automatic thing, but it’s going to help us,” Wright said. “It’s going to be in [the players’] minds.”
The Aggies may not have played many matches at a lower elevation, but their recent home matches in gusting winds could be a factor in learning to make adjustments.
Hansen said playing outside in the wind forced the team to focus on changing its game to deal with the elements, basically the same principle it will have to confront in California.
Larsen said, “It’s helped a lot. Tennis is a game of adjustments and if you don’t have that ability to do that, you’ll flunk. You’ll get an ‘F,’ and you won’t be able to play your best.”
Momentum could be another big factor, as the Aggies won their last two matches, including a comeback thriller against Idaho State.
“The fact that it was close I think really helped us because it shows we can pull through tight situations because no match in California is going to be a blowout,” Hansen said.
Utah State’s first match is 1 p.m. Thursday, and for the first year, all spots in the tournament will be played out instead of just single elimination.
But no matter who the opponent is, the Aggies are confident they can advance and challenge the top teams for the title.
“We’re not going in there to just make a showing. We want to win,” Wright said.
Pollock said, “Confidence is everything in matches. I have no doubt if we all play well together, we’ll win.”
-slbk5@cc.usu.edu