Tennis teams ready for season
Utah State University can look forward to a positive spring season from the men’s and women’s tennis teams, said Christian Wright, head coach of both teams.
Each team is equipped with “good depth” and is “very solid,” Wright said.
Along with the goal to win their conferences and qualify for the NCAA tournament, both teams will be striving to build individual confidence as well as teamwork.
Wright said the men’s team has many new faces this season, including five freshman. The young team is led by the only two upperclassmen, Joao Pinho, from Brazil, and Hannes Schenk, from Italy.
The men have started their season with a 1-1 record after beating the University of Idaho 5-2 Sunday and falling to Boise State Monday, one of the top four teams in the Mountain West Conference, 6-0.
Unlike the men’s team, the women’s roster is full of returning players, including one senior, Carolyn Stephens, and three juniors.
The women open their season against Washington on Jan. 21 in Provo.
Wright said the teams will be facing strong competitors such as UNLV, teams from the WAC and in-state rivals Utah, BYU and Weber State.
“The men’s team has swept Weber both at home and away the last couple of years,” Wright said.
Although the women have split their wins and losses against the Wildcats, Wright said their play has improved the last couple of times the two teams have met.
Wright also said that his team is looking forward to a challenging schedule this season.
The Aggies’ next match will be Friday and Saturday. The team will travel to BYU where the men will face BYU on Friday and the women will take on Washington. On Saturday the women’s team will face Montana at 10 a.m.
-brantaylor@cc.usu.edu