LOGAN, Utah – Utah State men's tennis (4-3, 0-0 MW) will host hosts Santa Clara (4-1) and Montana State (1-4) on Friday, Feb. 8, at 11 a.m., and 4 p.m., respectively, at the Sports Academy & Racquet Club.
Utah State returns to the courts after a 4-3 home loss to BYU last week in its only match. Against the Cougars, junior Sergiu Bucur posted a three-set win at No. 2 singles (3-6, 6-2, 6-2), sophomore Felipe Acosta won in three-sets at No. 3 singles (1-6, 6-1, 6-1) and freshman Rithvik Bollipalli won in straight-sets at No. 5 singles (7-5, 7-5). Acosta and sophomore Jose Carvajal lead the Aggies in singles with a 5-1 mark, while Bucur is 4-2. The trio of junior Duro Opacic, Bollipalli and freshman Isaac Arevalo Gómez are all 4-3, and freshman Mitch Johnson is 0-1. In doubles, Bucur and Bollipalli are 3-2 at the No. 2 spot, Arevalo and senior Carvajal are 2-2 at the No. 1 spot and Opacic and Acosta are 2-4 at the No. 3 spot.
USU and Santa Clara have each won a game in the series, and they will square off for the first time since Feb., 1995, when the Broncos beat the Aggies, 5-0. Santa Clara is 4-1 on the season, most notably beating Washington, 4-3, and Liberty, 6-1, in Seattle, Wash. In singles play, senior Andrew Gu is 4-1, while the trio of senior Robert Seby, junior Jesus Barajas and freshman Arthur Neuhaus are all 3-1. Senior Kamran Khan and freshman Santiago Hinojosa are 2-0, while junior Vasileios Iliopoulos is 2-1 and senior Connor Garnett is 2-2. In doubles, Seby and Garnett are 4-1, Iliopoulos and Neuhaus are 3-2 and Barajas and Gu are 2-3.
Montana State leads Utah State 21-15 in program history. In singles, MSU senior Alexander Flink and Joaquin Espinoza have both recorded two singles wins, while the trio of senior Mateus Ceolin, Creel Smith and junior Drew Brown have all recorded a victory. In doubles, Flink and Brown have recorded two wins, while Espinoza and Smith, as well as junior Grant Wood and Ceolin have recorded a win.
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.
-USU-
