Women netters take to the road
A three-match winning streak is on the line when the Utah State women’s tennis team takes to the road for three matches in Boise, Idaho.
First up Friday will be a test against the home team, No. 50 Boise State (14-3).
The Broncos are on a winning streak of their own, having won four straight and six of their last seven.
“Last year we went, and I remember Boise State. They’re a really good team, really tough competition, so it will be fun to go and win if we can,” said Aggie Haley Hawkins. “They’ve got a really good program.”
Before playing USU in the afternoon, Boise State will face UTEP (3-11). The Miners are currently on a two-match skid and are the Aggies’ opponent for Saturday morning.
In its final match of the weekend, Utah State will play Lewis-Clark State College (10-6). Aggie Head Coach Chris Wright said he is unsure of when the match will be, though. It could be held either Saturday night, giving the Aggies two matches in one day, or Sunday morning, he said.
With the team playing three matches in three, possibly two, days, fatigue may be a minor factor, but the players are excited to be playing instead of having long periods of time off like they did earlier in the season.
“I think the more matches, the better,” Hawkins said. “I don’t really like having breaks.”
As for possibly playing two matches in the same day, Aggie co-captain Caroline Pollock said, “We’ve never done that before. Hopefully we’ll have the stamina to.”
Playing away from Logan, the team often has to deal with altitude and court differences that can alter the pace of play.
On their home courts, the Aggies are used to playing a fast-paced game on fast courts, while in California, the ball travels slower and the points are longer.
Wright said for matches in Boise, the speed will probably be somewhere in between the two.
“I think our girls will enjoy playing at that elevation,” he said. “If the weather is nice, we’ll be playing outside.”
Two factors for the Aggies will be key going into the three matches, especially against a top team like BSU.
The first is how aggressive the players are on the court.
“We need to be more decisive and put some more pressure on our opponents when the time is right,” Wright said. “Most of our girls like to hang back and counter punch, not just counter punch, but play an aggressive backcourt game. But all of us need to be more assertive and come to the net and close out points at the net.”
If USU does this against Boise State, a team it lost 7-0 to last season, it has an excellent chance of winning, he said.
“This team is capable of knocking off teams like that,” he said. “It’s just time to step up and do it. We’ve got to go take it, and we have the ability to do that. We’ve got to be very aggressive at the right times.”
The other factor is confidence. Utah State has yet to win a road match this season, but is coming off of three straight home victories.
Riding the victories, the Aggies are on an upswing and have a lot of momentum going into the weekend.
“I think we’re just going to take our confidence from [the last] match into the other matches,” said USU’s Lindsey Bennion.
Once the team starts into competition, she said its level of play will probably rise as well.
“I think we’ll get more confidence as the day goes on,” Bennion said.
Overall, considering the competition and playing on the road, Utah State isn’t just looking to compete. The Aggies are looking to win.
“It’s good competition for sure, but we can definitely play with them and beat them,” Pollock said. “We’re hoping for three more wins.”
Going into the weekend, the Aggies are fairly balanced. Freshman Jill Smith has six singles victories and three other players, Pollock, Bennion and Shelly Ferguson have five.
In doubles, Smith and partner Andrea Hansen lead the team at 5-6.
-slbk5@cc.usu.edu