The No. 23 BYU men’s tennis team has reached a milestone as it moves into the national rankings for the first time in more than 30 years with a record of 11-1.

“We’re off to a great start,” BYU head coach Brad Pearce said. “This is a historical year for us.”

And the Cougars are not stopping there. Pearce said their new goal is to move into the top 15.

“This is a big breakthrough for us,” Pearce said. “But we’re going to always keep our goal out in front of us. We’re going to keep progressing and keep getting better.”

The Cougars are hitting the road this weekend, heading to Corpus Christi, Texas, to compete in the HEB Invitational. They have been supporting this particular tournament because it is one of the few collegiate tournaments that doesn’t include Sunday play.

Corpus Christi will bring a new challenge to the Cougars. The city is known for being windy and the Cougars have been preparing to face the challenge head on. Cassidy Mears, the team captain, said they have been preparing for the match by practicing outside and going over different strategies and game plans to battle the wind.

“We’re preparing to ignore the conditions and play tough in whatever circumstances we’re in,” junior Evan Urbina said.

The Cougars will kick off the tournament by playing Middle Tennessee State in the first round.
“We are guaranteed three matches,” Pearce said. “We just hope we are moving in the right direction in the draw.”

Mears said they are especially excited to take on Middle Tennessee because they lost to the Blue Raiders last year.

Urbina said the Cougars are going to focus on the same things they have all season: the things they can control. These things include their preparation, energy and confidence they bring to the match. He said BYU is feeling confident going into the tournament because they are playing well and hitting their shots.

“I told the guys the only thing I want to see concerning performance, win or lose, is that they compete as hard as they can every time,” Pearce said.