Netters return after three weeks off
Playing teams from the Big Sky Conference has always been common for the Utah State University men’s tennis team.
Nearly three weeks removed from their last match, the Aggies will return to action in what will be their second of five straight matches against Big Sky teams when they take the court against Weber State University at 2 p.m. in Ogden.
Following its match against the Wildcats the Aggies will return to Logan to face off against Portland State University Friday at 1 p.m. at the Sports Academy and Racquet Club.
The Aggies (5-11 on the season) are also slated to play Northern Arizona University Saturday, but the location of the match has yet to be determined. As of Tuesday, the match was scheduled to take place in Pocatello, Idaho, senior player Sam Harris said, but USU Head Coach Chris Wright is trying to get NAU to come to Logan.
Regardless of where the Aggies play, Harris said the team is playing with a lot more confidence than it did the last time it played WSU (2-7 on the season).
“Our confidence is a lot higher now than what it was when we last played [Weber],” he said. “We’re definitely moving up. By the conference tournament we’re going to be a very solid team [and] a very confident team.”
Thursday’s match will mark the third time the Aggies will do battle with the Wildcats. USU beat WSU 4-3 in Las Vegas, Nev., at the UNLV Invitational in February, with the Wildcats rebounding to defeat the Aggies 5-2 in Logan March 7.
Because they play each other so often, Harris said the Aggies are very familiar with the Wildcats’ tendencies and shot selection.
“It’s going to come down to being really patient and not getting frustrated,” he said. “Shot selection [wise], we pretty much know Weber really well, and we know we should beat them if we come out to play [like we know we can] that day.”
In the Aggies 5-2 loss to the Wildcats, WSU was able to capture the doubles point – a point that seems to make a huge difference, Harris said. With the exception of its match against Sacramento State, Utah State has emerged victorious in every match it has won the doubles point.
“If we win the doubles point, then that kind of gets us going – it [instills] in our minds that we have the confidence to win,” he said. “If we lose the doubles point then we’re like, ‘Oh man, that means we have another point we need to make up.'”
When the Aggies match shots with NAU (9-8 this year) Saturday, they will play a team that has won four straight matches, including a recent 7-0 shutout of Portland State. Portland State’s record stands at 2-11 after the Vikings dropped their last three matches in Florida.