Cougars Head to California For Tough Road Trip

PROVO -- The No. 62 BYU men's tennis team will head back to California for a three day, three match road trip beginning Monday against Sacramento State. BYU will take on No. 6 Stanford Tuesday and No. 20 California Wednesday before returning to Utah.

The Cougars want to be just as successful as last week's trip to California, where they knocked off No. 61 Princeton, 4-3. These three matches should prove to be a tough test for BYU before heading into Mountain West Conference play.

"We've got our work cut out for us," BYU head coach Jim Osborne said. "We're going to be playing the best in the country."

Stanford has several players in the top 100 in the nation, while California features five Davis Cup players. BYU almost upset Cal last season in the NCAA Regional tournament, so the two teams are very familiar with each other.

"We had some chances last season against Cal, so we really have nothing to lose," Osborne said. "I think we're strong enough and we have the talent to do some damage."

Nic Losee and Erik Nyman have led the Cougars lately with their stellar play. Losee has won six consecutive singles matches, while Nyman has a five-match streak of his own. The pair has won four straight doubles matches, while the No. 10 ranked doubles team of Gert Vilms and Carlos Lozano continue to play well. Jeff Harbach and Jeff Olsen round out BYU's impressive doubles lineup, and the doubles play will be important on this trip.

BYU will host Boise State Mar. 30 for the Cougars' final home match of the season. The Cougars have not lost a match at home this season, and defeated the Broncos in the fall at the National Indoor Qualifiying Tournament.