BYU to Face High-Ranked Notre Dame

PROVO -- The No. 42 women’s tennis team returns to Provo Saturday to face No. 14 Notre Dame. The Cougars played their last match Feb. 7 and have spent the last two weeks in practice.

“The time off was great,” BYU coach Craig Manning said. “We’re getting better and better. We’ve improved dramatically since the beginning of the year.”

Notre Dame comes to BYU with an impressive 7-1 record on the season. The lone loss came against No.1 Northwestern at the National Team Indoor Championships last week. The team returned to form with a 7-0 sweep of Purdue Wednesday.

The Irish, who have moved up three spots so far this season, feel comfortable at the top of the rankings. The squad boasts the No.1 doubles team in the country as well as four singles players ranked in the top 65.

“We always love playing Notre Dame,” Manning said. “They’re a class act and we respect the players and coaches.”

Last year, the Cougars dropped a close 4-3 decision at Notre Dame. Manning said his goal for the weekend is to see continued improvement in his players.

“We’ve been working on specific things in practice, and the match will help us evaluate individuals on the skill sets they have been practicing,” Manning said.

The match starts at noon Saturday at the BYU Indoor Tennis Courts. Admission is free. All BYU “Y Lot” parking lots are open to the public all day Saturday.