Aggie men’s tennis sweeps Nevada
The Utah State men’s tennis team continued its hot play Friday, defeating the Nevada Wolfpack 4-0.
The win pushes the Aggies’ record to 19-6, with a 4-0 record in Mountain West play.
“Today was the first day I thought we looked like a top 50 team,” said USU head coach Clancy Shields. “We went out and took care of our business on all the courts. I was pretty pleased.”
Doubles play has been a weak spot of late for the Aggies, losing the last two double points against Air Force and New Mexico. Against the Wolfpack, however, the Aggies were dominant in doubles.
Freshman Luis Lopez continued his excellent play today, winning both of his matches handily as well as winning his double’s match.
“I feel like it was a great team effort,” Lopez said. “It’s underestimated how much confidence one player can gain from another player’s set. It’s about momentum.”
Freshman Romai Ugarte battled food poisoning this week, losing between 10 and 15 pounds. Despite this, he was one of the keys to USU’s victory, winning in his double’s match and leading his single’s match before the match was called.
“He hardly practiced this week,” Shields said. “He came out here and just battled. That’s the character of our team. These guys are never going to pull themselves out of the lineup and they’re never going to quit.”
The win over Nevada gives USU its 19th win of the season, which is a school record for wins in a season. They are currently ranked 56th nationally, which is also a school record.
“We just want to keep it rolling,” Shields said. “We want to keep getting people out here to watch our guys and letting our guys showcase their talent.”
“We won this match, and now we just want to beat Fresno State,” Ugarte said. “We don’t care about the records. That’s just how this team rolls.”
With three matches to go in Mountain West play, the Aggies are poised to make a splash in the conference tournament.
“This team is on a mission,” Shields said. “We’re looking ahead to the conference championships. Anyone who is in our way is in for a fight. It’s pretty unique for our tennis program to be 56th in the country and to have the top place in the Mountain West conference.”
The Aggies are back in action on Sunday, where they face Fresno State at 2 p.m. The match is scheduled at the Sports Academy, however nicer weather will move the matches outdoors.
— dawson.oler@gmail.com
Twitter: @dawsonoler