Cougars to Participate in Regional Team Tournament
PROVO -- The BYU men's tennis team will participate in the Region VII Team Indoor Tournament in Las Vegas this week. The tournament is a qualifying event that will send the top team in the region to Louisville, Ky. as one of 16 teams to compete in the National Team Indoor Championships in February.
BYU goes into the tournament seeded fourth and will be playing fifth-seeded Utah Friday morning. The winner of that round will go on to play top-seeded San Diego State later that afternoon.
BYU head coach Jim Osborne said his team's chances are good to do well in regionals.
"This tournament gives us a chance to get into the national tournament," Osborne said. "Getting into the national tournament would give us an opportunity to play top-25 teams that we don't traditionally play during the season."
The Cougars have had a successful fall season thus far. Osborne is looking to add to that success with some competitive play in the regional tournament.
"Because this tournament is indoors, I think we might have a slight advantage over those teams that don't play indoors as much as we do," Osborne said.
Carlos Lozano of BYU, who is ranked No. 91 in the nation, will be one five other nationally ranked players that will be in action in the tournament: eight-ranked and top-seeded Oliver Maiberger of San Diego State, No. 70 Guillame Bouvier of Boise State, No. 75 Felix Hardt of SDSU and No. 87 Marcus Berntson of BSU.
In addition to some of the top singles players in the nation participating in the tournament, three of the top 30 doubles teams will also compete: SDSU's third-ranked duo of Maiberger and Ryan Redondo, No. 13 Lozano and Eric Nyman of BYU and No. 28 Valentino Pest and Hardt of SDSU.
Tournament Seedings1) San Diego State
2) New Mexico
3) Boise State
4) BYU
5) Utah
6) New Mexico State (will not compete)
