By STEVE SHAW
After an impressive win over Montana State last week, the BYU men’s tennis team prepares to meet in-state rival Weber State today at 5 p.m.
Weber State comes into the dual meet with a 4-2 record and is led by Trevor Ferguson and Patrick Erickson in singles play. Some of the Cougars fared well when they faced Weber State last year in a tournament at the University of Utah. Manuel Calvo of BYU faced Ferguson and beat him 6-3, 6-4, but coach Jim Osborne knows that every match is different.
“It’s a tough in-state rivalry. (Weber State) always gets up for us,” Osborne said.
BYU improved their record to 2-2 in dual match play with the last week’s win. Calvo will lead singles play for the Cougars, but the rest of the lineup is unsure.
“We do have some injuries and may not be at full strength,” Osborne said. Damien Ward pulled a groin muscle and may see limited action, and Brad McIntosh is still out with an injured back.
Because of these injuries, Osborne is hoping the other Cougars will play strong. “We’ll have to rely on the lower half of our lineup to step up and play very good tennis,” Osborne said.
The goal for the Cougars in this match is to win the doubles point and carry that momentum into the singles matches. “We’ll probably try some new doubles teams,” Osborne said. “We’re trying to solidify three good doubles teams.”
The tennis team is hoping for a big crowd and will be holding a drawing in between the doubles and singles matches for a new pair of shoes. The match will be held in the indoor tennis courts just behind the Smith Fieldhouse with doubles at 5 p.m. and singles at about 6 p.m.
After this home match, the Cougars will have a week off before meeting the University of Utah for a Feb. 16 road match.
