Cougars face two WCC tests on the road

PROVO, Utah – BYU men’s tennis hits the road for two crucial West Coast Conference matches at Gonzaga and No. 64 Portland Friday and Saturday.

The Cougars (9-14, 3-3) enter Spokane, Washington, on a five-match losing streak, but three of the five losses have come against teams ranked in the top 50 including No. 2 Baylor. BYU is in the middle of the pack in the WCC in fifth place as the conference slate begins to wind down. With conference leader San Diego visiting Provo next week, the Cougars hope to use this weekend to build some momentum.

The Zags (9-7, 1-4) have lost three consecutive matches in conference, falling to Pacific, Saint Mary’s and Portland. Gonzaga is led by junior Alvaro Nazal at No. 1 singles and No. 2 doubles and currently sit in eighth in the WCC standings.

The Pilots (11-4, 4-1) trail only San Diego in the WCC standings and will host the Toreros Friday before facing the Cougars on Saturday. So far Portland has only lost to Pacific in conference and has yet to drop a match at home. The Pilots are led by Steffen Dierauf at No. 1 singles and doubles. Dierauf is coming off a 6-1, 6-2 win over Nazal last week.

After the weekend’s away matches, the Cougars return home to host San Diego on April 18 for senior day.