Utah tennis senior Matt Cowley knows his way around the Eccles Tennis Center. Cowley first visited the home of the Utes in September of 2009, and he would be back countless times throughout his six-year career at Utah.
Rated a four-star recruit by tennisrecruiting.net right out of high school, Cowley was a valuable asset for a Utah team that had just graduated three seniors. By the time he graduated in the class of 2010 at Woods Cross High School, Cowley was a household name in the world of Utah high school tennis. Coached by his dad and his grandpa at Woods Cross, Cowley excelled. Cowley and his grandfather, Joe, share a special bond.
“Before every match I go and give my grandfather a big hug,” Cowley said. “It’s just easier to play through pain and all the adversity during a match when you have your family supporting you.”
Cowley was the No. 1 singles Region champion in 2006-07, and the No. 1 singles Region runner-up in 2007-08. In the 2008-09 season, Cowley broke through, going undefeated, and winning the No. 1 singles 4A State Championship. And for all his effort, Cowley was named the 2009 Outstanding Male High School Tennis Player of the Year for the state of Utah.
When Cowley decided to play tennis at the U, he was carrying on a three-generation family tradition of tennis excellence. Cowley’s grandfather, Joe, played for the Utes, winning two conference titles in 1959 and 1962. In 1996, the elder Cowley was inducted into the Utah Tennis Hall of Fame. Matt and his grandpa even play tennis together, winning the grandfather-grandson national championship.
Matt Cowley’s uncle, Jim Cowley, and his aunt, Linda Rich, both played for the Utah tennis team as well.
“I’m the fourth generation of my family to play tennis, and tennis runs in my blood,” Cowley said. “It’s been great to carry on the family tradition and to have the support of my father and grandfather at every match.”
On June 17, 2010, Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott officially announced Utah had been accepted as a member of the Pac-12. The announcement had a profound impact on Cowley and the Utes, who would now be playing annual matches against tennis powerhouses like UCLA, USC and Stanford.
For Utah, this presented an exciting opportunity to play in the conference of champions, but it would also be tough challenge.
“The Pac-12 is a different beast [than the Mountain West],” Cowley said. “We play the best teams and players in the country. The level [of play] is quite a bit higher.”
Head coach Roeland Brateanu cited Cowley as someone who’s made the transition to the conference a little bit easier.
“[Cowley] has been part of that development into the Pac-12 and he appreciates the things that we have now a little bit differently,” Brateanu said.
Cowley served a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during the Utes’ first two seasons in the Conference of Champions. He returned for his sophomore year (his first in the Pac-12) and went 13-6 in singles play overall, 2-4 in conference, competing mostly at the No. 6 position. In doubles, where he floated between the No. 2 and No. 3 courts, he posted a 11-10 record, 3-4 in conference play.
As a junior in 2015, Cowley moved up positions under rookie head coach Brateanu, spending most of his time on second and third courts in singles. Cowley compiled a 7-15 record (2-3 Pac-12) in singles play and teamed up with senior Cedric Willems at the No. 1 doubles spot, going 12-9 (1-4 Pac-12). Utah only won a single conference game, finishing last in the conference and bowing out in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament against Washington.
It took a while, but here he is now in his sixth year at Utah, and Cowley is a seasoned veteran. He plays on the No. 1 court in singles and on the No. 2 court in doubles with teammate Jamey Swiggart. Cowley is a big reason the Utes are a perfect 7-0 so far in the young season. A six-year veteran of the program, Cowley is the leader of the team and mentor for the younger players.
“He brings a lot of maturity to the team,” Brateanu said. “He’s a returned missionary, so he’s 23 years old. He’s been a part of our program when we were still in the Mountain West. He’s very experienced.”
Cowley is thrilled about the undefeated start, but he doesn’t want to get too far ahead of himself. He knows there are matches left to be played.
“This is what we have worked for in the Fall Semester and throughout the summer,” he said. “We’re excited to hopefully do something that no other Utah team has done and to keep this winning streak going. We are just focused on the next match ahead and never looking too far ahead.”
Before the spring season started, Cowley said, “It has been far too long since we played [in the NCAA tournament], and we would love to go dancing after the Pac-12 Championships.”
Led by Cowley, the Utes could find themselves dancing soon.
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