Cougars to Host New Mexico State and Oregon

PROVO -- The No. 64 BYU men's tennis team (2-3) will be looking to get some big wins this weekend as they host New Mexico State on Friday at 6 p.m. and No. 73 Oregon on Saturday at 4 p.m. in Provo.

After a tough road trip to California last week, BYU head coach Jim Osborne said his team is anxious to be playing at home in a familiar environment.

"Last weekend was a bit of a wake-up call for us," Osborne said. "We we're kind of hurting by the third day. The guys were pretty beat up. But now they know that they need to get in better shape."

BYU ended last weekend with a 1-2 record. The Cougars were able to beat Loyola Marymount 4-3 before losing to UC Irvine 3-4 and to seventh-ranked USC 0-7. In all three matches, the Cougars were unable to win the doubles point.

"We have got to win the doubles point," Osborne said. "If we want to compete in and win the conference championship this year, we need to be more consistent in doubles. I'm confident in our pairings and I know we can play. We're going to focus on winning the doubles point this weekend."

New Mexico State will be opening up their regular season against the Cougars on Friday. They are not currently ranked but they have a tough lineup. Last year, the Cougars beat the Aggies 7-0 in New Mexico so they will be looking to get back at BYU.

"New Mexico State is a solid team with good players all the way down the line," Osborne said. "We need to be prepared for them because I know they will come ready to play."

The Cougars are especially looking forward to playing Oregon. The Ducks are currently No. 73 in the nation with a 1-1 record. They were able to beat Idaho 7-0 before falling to New Mexico 5-2 last weekend. Last year BYU, lost to Oregon 4-3 in a hard fought match.

"Oregon beat us last year in a close match at their place, so I think our guys are really pumped up for them," Osborne said. "This weekend will be a great early test for us at home this season."

This week's matches will be played at the BYU tennis courts or the indoor courts in case of inclement weather.