The young season is going to get tough, and quick.
Both the men’s and women’s tennis teams will head east this weekend to take on top-level competition. The men’s squad (3-0) goes to Waco, Texas to take on the No. 7 Baylor Bears.
The No. 50 women’s team (1-1) heads to Coral Gables, Fla., to take on three top-50 squads at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center. A week after being swept at home by No. 38 Washington 7-0, the Utes will look to make a positive mark against No. 13 Miami, No. 24 Tennessee and No. 41 Virginia.
“We got beaten by a team that visibly wanted it more than us,” said head coach Mat Iandolo in a statement following the loss to the Huskies. “We learned a lot as a team from that and we will apply it as we move through the early part of the season.”
The last time the Hurricanes and Utes met was April 1998, with Utah emerging victorious 5-4. The Utes last met up with Tennesse in 1991 when the Utes pulled off another 5-4.
The men’s side will be going up against a Baylor team that is 1-1 this season in the first round of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships.
“This will be a great learning experience for our team to play on the road against Baylor,” said assistant coach Roeland Brateanu in a statement. “It is an opportunity for us to beat a team ranked in the top 10 nationally.”
This is the first time this season that the Utes will be playing away from Salt Lake City. They bested Eastern Washington, Utah State and Weber State in their first games of the season, sweeping the Wildcats and beating the Eagles 6-1 and the Aggies 5-1.
Utah’s 2, 4, 5 and 6 single positions are undefeated with a combined record of 9-0. If the Utes beat the Bears, they will move on to play the winner of No. 57 San Diego State or No. 58 Georgia Tech. The Utes and Bears square off Friday.
The women’s match will start at 8 a.m. They’ll be playing both the Vols and Cavs on Saturday.