By Celeste Wilcox
After five matches at home, No. 49 BYU women”s tennis team is on the road for three straight games.
The Cougars play Washington Friday, Feb. 28, and Washington State on Saturday, March 1. Both matches will be played in the Lewis-Clark State College tennis center in Lewiston, Idaho.
In last year”s match up, BYU beat Washington 4-3. The Cougars lost the doubles point, but claimed four of the six singles matches to earn the win.
Washington State has won both previous matches against BYU. Last year, WSU beat BYU 4-3 in Provo.
Monday, March 3, the team travels to California to take on No. 16 Fresno State.
Fresno State currently holds its highest ranking of the year at No. 16. The Bulldogs” top player, Chloe Carlotti, is their best weapon at No. 11 in the nation.
Head coach Craig Manning said he knows this trip is important.
“This is a long trip,” Manning said. “We are looking forward to it; this is a big weekend for our team.”
The Cougars are coming off a big win against Wisconsin on Feb. 21, and Manning said he hopes the team is peaking at the right time.
“We are playing well,” Manning said. “Hopefully we can play even better.”
The women”s tennis team has been beset with injuries and sickness in the past, but Manning said everyone is healthy and ready to play.
The latest concern was freshman Olga Boulytcheva. She was pulled out of the lineup against Oklahoma State on Feb. 17 because of persistent blackouts. Tests came back normal, and she has been healthy to play ever since.
Manning said he tries to convey a positive attitude to his team.
“All we do is control what we can control,” Manning said. “We need to concentrate on playing as well as we can.”
