March 24, 2018 Recap | Box Score
Post-Match Quotes
USU head coach James Wilson:
On the match:
"It was a great start for us. We came out ready to play in doubles and really just had a lot of energy. In singles, we got off to a good start for the most part on all the courts. Felipe (Acosta) at four was down at first, and Jaime (Barajas) had a really close first set. I was just really, really happy with Jaime and Felipe. They showed a lot of resolve after losing first sets, coming back and battling. For Sammy (Serrano) to win easy like that quickly made a huge difference for us. It was just awesome to see Jaime close it out like that because that's a really good player he beat, and he did a great job of staying the course and playing his game. It was good."
On the energy throughout the match:
"That's huge for us. That's our identity. We're not going to be a super talented team that just blows you off the court. We're going to be just a gritty, tough team that makes a lot of noise. The guys really play for eachother. That's what I'm trying to convince them to do. The way they do that is by cheering, making a lot of noise even if you're not playing. It's all part of the culture. Hopefully, we can keep doing it. That's what we want to do."
On how big a win like this is early in Mountain West play:
"It's huge. You want to win all of them, obviously, but it's really important to get off to a good start and to win the ones at home. We feel like we have a good advantage, a big advantage at home, so that's key. But, we're just trying to take it one step at a time. Next weekend we go down to San Diego State and have to get ready for them."
On the mindset the team has as defending Mountain West champions:
"We phrase it as we're not defending anything, we're going after it. Last year was last year. We have a totally different team this year. A lot of the guys don't even know what it's really all about, so that's kind of refreshing. But, the guys that have been here before, they know what it takes, so we have that going for us. We have that good experience. But, we feel like we have to go after it. We have to play to win and nothing's going to be handed to us, we have to earn it. That's our mentality."
USU freshman Felipe Acosta: On the match: "It was an unbelievable match. There were a lot of ups and downs. I had those match points. It was great that I could bounce back and finish. It was an unbelievable match, and I'm really happy for the win."
On his mentality after losing the first set: "I lost the first set. I started pretty low. I tried to have high energy in the second and the third set, and I broke the first game of the second set, so it was a really good match for me."
On finishing strong: "The most important thing is to face forward thinking of the next point. The last point doesn't matter because it's in the past. When things get going and I really want to win, that's how I play a match."
On having his teammates cheer him on: "I love it. That's why I like college tennis. As a team, you can scream, that's allowed. So, I like having people to cheer for me: my teammates, my friends, everyone. I really appreciate it."
On his opponent's strong first serve: "I have to watch the toss a little more, watch the ball a lot. If he hits that serve, it's okay. Go before your man and keep going. It's the only way to play."
