LOGAN, Utah – Utah State men's tennis (4-2, 0-0 MW) will host in-state rival BYU (4-2, 0-0 WCC) on Thursday, Jan. 31, at 5 p.m., at the Sports Academy & Racquet Club.
"I think our guys are excited to compete and they understand the significance of this rivalry," said head coach James Wilson. "I would expect good energy from both sides and hopefully the crowd is there to help."
Utah State is coming off its stay at the Texas-hosted ITA Kick-Off Weekend after going 1-1 with a neutral court loss to Miami (FL) (2-4) and a neutral court win over Washington (4-2). Overall in singles, USU is led by sophomore Jose Carvajal, who is 5-1 at the No. 5 spot, followed by fellow sophomore Felipe Acosta, who is 4-1 at the No. 4 spot. In doubles, junior Sergiu Bucur and freshman Rithvik Bollipalli are 3-2 at the No. 2 spot, Carvajal and freshman Isaac Arevalo Gómez are 2-2 at the No. 1 spot and Acosta and junior Duro Opacic are 2-4 at the No. 3 spot.
"BYU has had a strong start and I know they will be very tough, so we need to be ready for a battle," Wilson said.
Utah State is 4-37 against BYU, however, the Aggies have won the last four matchups. The Cougars are 4-2, most notably capturing a 4-2 win against Old Dominion in the consolation round of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in Winston-Salem, N.C. In singles play, senior Jeffrey Hsu, junior Sean Hill and sophomore Ben Gajardo are all 4-1, senior Matthew Pearce is 2-1, freshman Mateo Vereau Melendez is 2-3, sophomore Jacob Tullis is 1-4 and freshman Vinicius Feijao Nogueira is 0-2. In doubles, Tullis and Gajardo are 5-1, Vereau and Pearce are 3-1 and Hill and Hsu, who are ranked No. 19 in the nation, are 3-2.
Fans can follow USU's men's tennis team on Twitter @USUMensTennis, on Facebook at UtahStateMensTennis or on Instagram at USUTennis. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter at @USUAthletics, on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics or on Instagram at @USUAthletics.
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