Netters look to bounce back from BYU loss
Bouncing back from a tough road loss is something every good sports team is able to do.
Jevin West, assistant coach on the Utah State University men’s tennis team, said he hopes the Aggies are able to do just that when they take the court against in-state rival Weber State University Thursday at 1 p.m. at the Sports Academy and Racquet Club.
“It will be nice to see how they bounce back from a tough loss to BYU, especially at home,” West said.
After dropping a 7-0 decision March 1 to a BYU team, one West said was its best team in recent memory, the Aggies will play their first home match in more than a month and one-half against the Wildcats.
The Aggies and Wildcats have already met once this season, where USU escaped with a 4-3 victory Feb. 15 at the University of Nevada Las Vegas Invitational. USU was able to pick up the win despite losing three of its singles matches in the decisive third set.
Tightly contested matches with WSU is something the Aggies are accustomed to, West said, as four of the six singles matches went to three sets when the teams squared off in Las Vegas.
“Every time we play Weber it usually comes down to a couple of three setters,” he said. “We’re just really evenly matched.”
Although the Aggies have been hit by the injury bug this year – Jonah Nelson, Steve Peterson, Jason Trask and Jordan Butler will compete with various injuries – West said home-court advantage should give USU an advantage over the WSU Wildcats.
Like any other sport, West said home-court advantage is a huge factor in tennis due to how fast different hard-court surfaces play.
With West expecting close matches against the Wildcats, he said the winner of each match will come down to who is able to win the big points and capitalize on their break-point opportunities.
Winning Thursday’s contest is a must for the Aggies if they want to gain momentum on their four-match homestand, West said.
One thing is for certain come Thursday: Motivation won’t be a factor.
“We just don’t like to lose to each other,” he said.
The Aggies will continue their homestand Friday at 2 p.m. against Robert Morris University.