Netters Return Home to Host UCSB

PROVO -- The No. 62 BYU men’s tennis team will come back to Provo this weekend to play UC Santa Barbara. The teams will face off Saturday at the BYU Indoor Tennis Courts.

“Our goal is to stay focused on the process,” BYU coach Brad Pearce said. “We want to keep doing the things we’ve been doing on a weekly basis to prepare for all of our other matches.”

After a successful weekend on the East Coast, the Cougars are looking to build on their undefeated 5-0 record. BYU beat then-No. 61 Harvard, No. 67 Mississippi State and DePaul at the Harvard Kick-Off Tournament. Junior Evan Urbina earned conference honors as the Men’s Tennis Player of the Week for his performances at the two-day competition.

UCSB had a break between matches and the last result was a 4-3 loss to No. 1 USC Jan. 23. The Gauchos are 1-2 on the season and dropped a 6-1 decision when they last played BYU in 2008.

“Santa Barbara will be tough,” Pearce said. “Hopefully, we can focus on the things we have control over and that will produce a good outcome.”

Saturday’s match begins at 2 p.m. at the indoor courts, located south of the Smith Fieldhouse. Admission is free and the team will provide pizza to fans. All BYU “Y Lot” parking lots are open to the public all day Saturday.