BYU Hits the Road

PROVO -- With a 6-0 record, the No. 62 BYU men’s tennis team will travel to Colo. to face off against No. 63 Denver Friday and Drake Saturday.

“We’re not getting caught up in our ranking or record, as a team or individually,” BYU coach Brad Pearce said. “We’re focusing on having effective practices and it seems to be working.”

Friday will bring a strong Denver team that also owns a 6-0 record. The Pioneers spent last week upsetting No. 57 Middle Tennessee 6-1 and No. 50 New Mexico 4-3. Last year, DU fell in a close 4-3 bout in Provo, but home-court advantage can make a big difference for this Denver squad. While the Cougars lead 6-3 in the overall record, they have never been able to come away with a win in Denver.

“Denver has had a good season so far,” Pearce said. “It will be a tough battle and hopefully we’ll be well-prepared.”

The following day BYU will take on Drake. The two teams haven’t met since the 2000-2001 season when the Cougars earned the 5-2 win. The Bulldogs are 2-0 this spring after defeating Northern Illinois and Memphis over the weekend.

“We have high goals for the season,” Pearce said. “The team showed me last week that they still want more and that makes me feel like we have a good chance of accomplishing those goals.”

First serve against Denver is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday and the match versus Drake begins at 6 p.m. Saturday. Both matches will be played at the Colorado Athletic Club-Inverness.