Men’s tennis falls to Weber
In a season where things just haven’t gone their way, the Utah State men’s tennis team picked up another loss on the road Wednesday when they faced off with in-state rival Weber State University in Ogden, falling to the Wildcats 7-0.
It was the third time this season that the Aggies have come up short against the Wildcats, but never were the losses so decisive. The Aggies were not only swept in their matches, but also in their sets, save one produced by sophomore Alex Thatcher.
“[Weber] played very well on their home courts,” said head coach Christian Wright. “We didn’t play poorly, but they were on.”
Despite best efforts, when all was said and done the Aggies, now 5-12 on the season, were on the wrong end of a clean sweep.
As is the custom, the teams battled it out for the doubles point first. Three doubles matches are played, and one point is awarded to the team who wins two of the three. Although they didn’t win the doubles point, it was here that the Aggies were able to get their only victory of the day when Freshman Jakob Asplund and senior Fernando Gallegos bested Weber’s Sascha Kiehne and Fabio Mancarella, 8-4.
In singles action, sophomore Oscar Ericsson stepped up to the plate at the No. 1 spot after playing No. 2 singles for the majority of the season. Ericsson hung tough with one of the best players in the state, Henning Hipp, but eventually lost, 6-2, 6-4.
At No. 2, Asplund lost in straight sets to Fabio Mancarella, 6-3, 6-4. The match was close with each player only breaking the others serve once in each set. However, had Asplund been at full health, it could have been a different story altogether. Asplund, who had been sick previously during the week, said he is feeling a lot better and should be 100 percent in time for Friday’s match against Northern Colorado University.
Gallegos and fellow senior Jonas Tyden lost their singles matches to Weber’s Kiehne and Nick Plum, 6-1, 6-2, and 6-3, 6-4, respectively. Meanwhile sophomores Matt Searle and Thatcher suffered losses at the hands of Chris Williams and Spencer Marchant, 6-2, 6-0, and 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, respectively.
Thatcher’s performance was even more impressive than it looks on paper, as it was his first match in several months due to a leg fracture injury that has kept him out of the spotlight for most of the regular season.
“Alex did a great job,” Wright said. “It was nice to have him back on the court. He competed very hard, a lot of heart.”
With a losing season coming to an end, Coach Wright said he is still optimistic about the remaining matches, and about the young team’s future. Out of the eight players currently on the roster, five will be returning, four of which are already starters.
“Our guys have worked hard and I’m proud of their effort,” Wright said.
The Aggies battle the Bears of the University of Northern Colorado Friday at 1 p.m. at the Sports Academy in their final home match of the season. Admission is free.
-jackson.olsen@aggiemail.usu.edu