BYU Heads to Nebraska

PROVO -- BYU will travel to Nebraska this weekend to face No. 75 Southern Mississippi Friday and No. 53 Nebraska Saturday. The 8-7 Cougars are looking to turn things around after a 4-3 loss to No. 26 Boise State last week.

“We’ve not done well in doubles, which has been the factor in close matches,” BYU coach Brad Pearce said. “This week we’ve tried some different combinations and hope they will help us to win the doubles point.”

The team will need every point they can get against a tough Nebraska squad. The Huskers are 11-2 on the season and are coming off three consecutive sweeps over the weekend. BYU and NU are tied 1-1 all-time but have not competed against each other in the last ten years.

“Nebraska is a great, athletic team so it’s a good opportunity for us,” Pearce said.

Saturday will bring Southern Miss, which currently owns an 8-4 record. The Golden Eagles ended their three-match winning streak with a 5-2 loss to No. 36 Rice last week.

USM has one ranked singles player, with freshman Patricio Alvarado cracking into the top 100 at No. 97. Alvarado also pairs with Markus Wessinghage to claim the No. 64 spot. BYU earned a 4-3 win when the teams last met in 2001.

“We’ve got two tough matches against two ranked team,” Pearce said. “Our goal is to come back with two wins.”

Both matches will be played at the Nebraska Tennis Center and begin at 7 p.m.