Arthur Neuhaus
Posted: Feb 06, 2019
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – For the second consecutive weekend, Santa Clara men's tennis travels out of state, this time to Utah to play Utah State on Friday and BYU on Saturday in the West Coast Conference opener.
The Broncos (4-1) are riding a four-match win streak after downing Liberty and Washington in Seattle last weekend.
"It was really nice to get the two wins, especially on the road since it is something we've struggled in the past," said Broncos head coach Niall Angus. "I was particularly impressed with how the players managed their time between the matches, after the solid win over Liberty and how they prepared professionally against the second match against Washington. I was really happy for Rob (Seby) to get the double clinchers but it was also a team effort. I was impressed by the freshmen as well and their maturity. We know it only gets tougher from now on, starting with this weekend."
Utah State (4-3) had its four-match win streak snapped by BYU last week at home at the Sports Academy & Racquet Club, where the Aggies will host the Broncos on Friday.
BYU (5-2) has played six-straight opponents in the top-66 and will be playing at home for the first time since Jan. 12 at the Indoor Tennis Courts in a key WCC matchup. Santa Clara and BYU were both picked to finish second in the preseason by the conference head coaches.
"The state of Utah is a difficult place to play but the players have all experienced it, except for the freshmen," said Angus. "The team understands the challenges but it's important to embrace them, rather than fear them. We'll be training indoors before we travel. We've played some indoor matches already this season and we've been a lot more successful than we have been in the past so we are taking a little bit of confidence into this road trip."
The weekend matches will be the fourth and fifth times this spring the Broncos will be playing indoors where the play is faster with the speed of the court and quicker speed of the ball through the air which favor players with power and explosiveness rather than physical strength and endurance.
"It will be interesting to see how we stack up against a very good team in Utah State and our conference rival, BYU," said Angus.
Live streaming is available for both matches. Click here for the Utah State match and here for the BYU match.