Aggie men’s tennis team set for rival Idaho State
When the Utah State men’s tennis team took the court against Gonzaga University a week ago, it knew very little about the Bulldogs.
This will hardly be the case when the Aggies travel to Pocatello, Idaho on Thursday to play long-time nemesis Idaho State University. The match is scheduled to begin at
2 p.m.
“We’re pretty equal,” said Aggie Ryan Bair about the Bengals. “It always goes back and forth between the two of us. It’s definitely one of our biggest rivals.”
At least that’s the way it’s been the last couple of years.
However, the USU/ISU rivalry used to be pretty one-sided in the Bengals’ favor, said USU Head Coach Chris Wright.
Over the last two years, the Aggies and Bengals have squared off six times, with both teams winning three apiece. USU (1-3 this season) enjoyed a breakout year against ISU (1-2) last season, taking two of the three meetings.
“It’s going to be one of those really tight, hotly contested matches,” Wright said. “We match up well against each other. It’s going to go right down to the very wire.”
It certainly came down to the wire the last time the two teams did battle last year. Tied at 3-3 after singles play, the Bengals captured two of the three doubles matches to escape the Sports Academy and Racquet Club with a 4-3 victory.
Like Utah State, Idaho State was unable to defend its home court a season ago, dropping a 5-2 decision to the Aggies in the season-opener for both teams. Bair said he expects ISU is savoring its chance to avenge that home loss.
“They’re going to be out to get us, no doubt,” he said.
Come Thursday, both Wright and Bair said they anticipate seeing a similar Bengal team from a year ago, with one notable improvement.
ISU returns four players from last year’s team, and will have the services of senior Malcolm Swan — a player Wright said was one of the top players in the region.
“Swan is tough because he’s a tall kid who moves well, and he’s got good shots,” Wright said. “It’s hard to get balls by [him], and he hits the ball big enough he gets a lot of chances to attack.
“We’ll be glad to see him go next year,” he said.
With Wright expecting the match to come down to the wire, he said it is imperative the Aggie players effectively move their feet if they want to gain the upper hand.
In USU’s 7-0 sweep of Gonzaga, Wright said he was a little bit disappointed with the team’s footwork. As a result, he said he has stressed the importance of moving forward, setting the feet, and having proper racket preparation in recent practices.
“It’s one of those things where it’s really easy to say, ‘Well, I missed my backhand all day,’ but the reason you might be missing the stroke is you’re not in position,” he said. “The team that moves better is going to convert the big points on Thursday.”
Following its match against ISU, USU will return to action Feb. 14 when it travels to Las Vegas to compete in the UNLV Invitational. The Aggies will find out how fit they are as they will play three matches in three days.
–jasonwturner@cc.usu.edu