Men and Women Team Up for World Team Tennis Tourney

BYU men's and women's tennis teams will challenge 15 other teams at the World Team Tennis National Collegiate Championships in San Diego this weekend. Women's head coach Craig Manning leads three women and two men to represent the Cougars at the tournament.

Recently married Brooke Beverly, Lu Oswald and Lindsay Ferrell will play for the women and Gert Vilms and Carlos Lozano will play for the men.

"It's our first tournament so I'm not sure what to expect," Manning said. "I'm just looking forward to it."

The tournament features a unique format allowing substitutions in matches and cumulative game scores determining the winner between two teams. Women's doubles, women's singles, men's doubles, men's singles and mixed doubles matches will all be played for each particular match. Tennis legend Billie Jean King devised the concept of team tennis, and she will attend this week's competition.

Vilms and Lozano return this year as the men's best doubles team. While team rankings will not be available until January, Vilms and Lozano have been ranked No. 4 in the preseason doubles poll.

"It's the first tournament of the season," said BYU men's coach Jim Osborne. "If they stay relaxed, they will do well. They're a very solid team."

Mountain West Conference rival San Diego State will co-host the event. Preseason No. 13 Oliver Maiberger leads the Aztecs into the tournament. Steven Capriati, younger brother of Jennifer Capriati, will compete in the tournament for Arizona.

Beverly, Oswald and Ferrell all starred for the Cougars last year. The trio hopes the first tournament will be a good start to the new season.

"It's hard to know what's going to happen," Manning said. "It's going to be a total team effort."