LOGAN, Utah - Utah State men's tennis (10-4, 0-0 MW) will return to action for the first time in two weeks by opening up conference play at UNLV (9-3, 0-0 MW), on Friday, March 15, at 5 p.m. (MT), followed by a home match against UT San Antonio (10-3, 0-0 C-USA) on Sunday, March 17, at 1 p.m., at the Outdoor Tennis Courts, weather permitting.
"Playing at UNLV will definitely be a tough road test for our group," said head coach James Wilson. "We know they have some talented guys that are capable of playing at a high level. We will need to come out strong and play hard from start to finish."
In singles, the Aggies are led by sophomore Felipe Acosta, who is 10-2, and junior Duro Opacic, who is 10-4. Freshman Isaac Arevalo Gómez, who is 9-5 at the No. 1 spot, was recently ranked 111th by the ITA last week. In doubles, junior Sergiu Bucur and freshman Rithvik Bollipalli are 7-4, while Acosta and Opacic sit at 5-4. Recently, the Aggies were ranked No. 48 by SLAM Tennis, as they were previously 50th in last week's poll.
Utah State is 6-32 against UNLV, but has won the last five matchups. The Rebels have won four of their last six matches, most notably beating Illinois State, 5-2. In singles play, Clayton Alenik is 9-0, including 8-0 at the No. 5 spot, while Tom Ciszewski is 8-0 at the No. 6 spot. In doubles, Jordan Sauer and Olle Thestrup are 8-1 at the second position.
USU leads the series against UT San Antonio, 2-1, and have won their last two matches against the Roadrunners by 4-0 scores, both in 2016. UTSA is led by Javier Rodriguez, who is 12-1 at the Nos. 3 and 4 spots, while Juri Reckow posts a 9-3 record. In doubles play, Joao Ceolin and Reckow have recorded a 9-3 mark at the No. 1 spot.
"Another tough test will be to have a quick turnaround and face UTSA at home on Sunday," Wilson said. "They've had success this season and we will need to be ready to battle."
Fans can follow USU's Men's tennis team on Twitter @USUMensTennis, on Facebook at UtahStateMensTennis or on Instagram @USUMensTennis. 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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