Ag tennis set to take on Weber
Following up a loss with another match the same day didn’t discourage the Utah State women’s tennis team.
Despite the fatigue factor, and it was big, the Aggies (6-8) were able to wrap up a three-match trip to Boise, Idaho with a win against Lewis Clark State College, 5-2.
Aggie Head Coach Chris Wright said he switched the lineup for the Saturday afternoon match to help combat fatigue, which did affect the players.
“My legs were like noodles,” said USU’s Jill Smith.
Team co-captain Shelly Ferguson also experienced the effects of playing matches so close together. Wright removed her because she was unable to play due to a blister on the palm of her hand.
To try to bring some new life onto the court, he inserted Holly Anderson, who played in only her second match of the spring.
Put in at No. 3 doubles, Anderson and her partner Jill Smith rolled over Daniela Poesch and Ana Cornea, 8-1.
And playing together competitively for the first time wasn’t a big adjustment for either of them.
Smith said she would be happy to play with anyone on the team.
The experience of playing with everyone in practice helped her, Anderson said.
Although she has played exhibition matches, Anderson said she was glad to be playing and not nervous.
“I just wanted to go out and have fun,” she said. “It was nice to be playing for real and not just an exhibition match.”
In the other doubles matches, Caroline Pollock and Lindsey Bennion defeated Aibika Kalsarieva and Khaliun Enkhjargal, 9-7. Aggies Carolyn Larsen and Andrea Hansen fell, 8-5, to Pei Yuin Keng and Jinnie Shrestha.
Moving on to singles, USU didn’t lose a set at No. 3 through 6 to seal the match. Bennion topped Enkhjargal, 6-1, 6-1, at No. 3, and Smith defeated Cornea, 6-2, 6-2, at No.4.
In the No. 5 match, Hansen edged Shrestha, 6-3, 6-4, and at No. 6 Haley Hawkins picked up her first singles victory of the spring, a 6-2, 6-2 win against Sonam Yangchen.
At No. 1, Pollock fell, 6-4, 6-4 to Kalsarieva and Larsen was defeated in two sets, 6-2, 6-3 at No. 2.
Wright said Pollock’s match could have gone her way, but she played tough against a player who is ranked at the top of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
Both Pollock’s and Larsen’s opponents earned All-American honors in the NAIA last season.
Earlier in the day, Utah State lost a close match to UTEP. Pollock and Bennion picked up their doubles match, 8-6, over Martina Rezar and Kendall Exelby, but the other doubles teams came up empty.
In singles, Pollock and Smith both got wins. At No. 1, Pollock cruised by Exelby, 6-1, 6-1 and Smith came back at No. 4 against Joanna Furdyna, who had to retire, due to an injury, with Smith leading 4-3 in the second set.
Against host No. 50 Boise State (16-3) on Friday to open the trip, the Aggies were swept, 7-0.
Bennion played the closest match, taking her opponent to three sets before finally being defeated.
But despite a 1-2 weekend and some missed opportunities, Wright said the team did some good things and played more aggressively.
“They were putting shots away instead of waiting for the opponent to make a mistake,” Wright said.
Utah State also cleared a big hurdle over the weekend – finally picking up a road victory.
Up until Saturday, USU had not won away from Logan, where it is 5-1.
Now that it has finally won on the road, Utah State will be looking to make it two in a row on the road (and against its opponent) when it takes on Weber State on Thursday in Ogden.
Having played a similar schedule to the Aggies in recent weeks, Weber (7-7) is on a four-match win streak, with victories over Lewis Clark State, Montana State, Gonzaga, and Cal Sate Fullerton.
Although Utah State defeated the Wildcats 5-2 earlier this season in Logan, Wright said he doesn’t expect an easy match.
He said there hasn’t been a team this season that has just given the Aggies the match, and like usual, his players will have to fight.
Although the Aggies have the experience of having played the Wildcats, Smith said every day of tennis is different.
“Anybody can win on any given day,” she said.
Smith leads the team with an 8-6 singles record. Pollock and Bennion have the next best records at 6-8.
Utah State has only defeated Weber twice in its history, once last year and once this year, and has never won in Ogden.
Wright said the Aggies are stronger than they have been in the past, though, and have a good shot at taking the match.
Thursday’s match begins at 2 p.m. and will be held on Weber’s outdoor courts.
-slbk5@cc.usu.edu