Women Ags looking to rebound from four-game skid, continue home stand
Currently on a four-match slide, the Utah State women’s tennis team will be looking to break out of its slump as it continues a four-match home stand.
The Aggies (2-6) suffered their first home loss of the season Friday, a 6-1 defeat at the hands of No. 24 South Carolina. Although unhappy with the loss, the team is ready to get back in action.
“I definitely would rather go play right now than do anything,” said Aggie Carolyn Larsen. “I’m not ready for a break. I’m ready for matches.”
Utah State will have its chance to play Thursday against Montana at the Sports Academy and Racquet Club in North Logan.
Going into the match the Aggies are being led by freshman Jill Smith, who has compiled a team best 5-3 singles record.
Larsen and partner Haley Hawkins have the best doubles record at 3-3.
Hawkins missed a couple of matches early in the season due to illness and injury, but has played in Utah State’s last five matches. Now she’s looking to make up for lost time.
“I’m just really looking forward to the upcoming matches, and match play is one of the most important things,” she said. “I know the more matches I play, the better I’ll get.”
To be successful in their upcoming matches, the Aggies need to show a bit more patience and reduce their unforced errors, said Head Coach Chris Wright.
In past matches, Wright said, sometimes players have been forcing shots or going for too much when it’s not there. This leads to errors.
“I think we’re making cautious errors,” he said. “We need to be aggressive, but hit into good shots. We know where to place the ball, it’s just a matter of stepping up and believing we’re going to make the shot when we get the opportunity and if we don’t get it, don’t go for too much.
“If you’re feeling like you’re going to miss, you’re going to miss.”
If recent history is any indicator, Utah State should hold the upper hand going into the match. Last season in their only meeting, the Aggies defeated Montana 7-0 at Montana State.
A win this year would not only get the Aggies back on track, but it could also be important for helping the team’s spirit.
After the loss to South Carolina Wright said several of the players were down on themselves. Larsen also said she was disappointed in her performance and is looking to do better.
“We just need to bounce back. It’s not a big deal,” Wright said. “The fact that we didn’t win some of these matches that are winnable doesn’t mean that should be a damper on the matches coming up or anything else.”
A win could also provide valuable momentum for the Aggies as they continue on into the second half of the season. With several more matches, both home and away, Utah State has the chance to build its seed and sharpen its play going into the Big West Conference tournament at the end of April.
And despite the setbacks of late, the players are confident in their ability to finish the season strong.
“Who cares that we’ve lost? I don’t think it matters how many times you’ve lost and I just feel very confident we can win,” Hawkins said. “I think we can do awesome. I have so much confidence in my teammates.”
Smith said, “We’re doing really well, I think. We didn’t get all the match play that we needed to [in the first half of the season], but the second half of the season, we’ve got match after match, back to back. I think we’ll improve a lot the second half of the season.”
Playing at home could also provide a big boost. Five of the nine remaining regular season matches are scheduled to be played in Logan.
With a record of 2-1 at home this season, the Aggies are able to draw support from their fans, as well as having an advantage by being used to the elevation and the speed of the court.
“We’ve got the crowd on our backs and you get pumped up more easily, you’ve got a lot of good vibes, and it’s just a better environment to go out and do your best,” Smith said.
The match will begin at 1 p.m.
–slbk5@cc.usu.edu