GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— The Colorado Mesa University men's tennis team will look to continue a strong start to the 2021 campaign as they head on the road to northern Utah for a match against NCAA Division I and Mountain West Conference opponent Utah on Saturday.
The Mavericks, 5-1 thus far in 2021, will take on the currently 3-1 Aggies at the Sports Academy and Racquet Club in Logan, beginning at 11 a.m. CMU's scheduled Sunday match at Weber State has been postponed.
Live results and a live stream (via you tube) will be available for Saturday's match and can be accessed at the links above.
The CMU women are also in action against Division I opponents this weekend, playing a doubleheader at Idaho State in Pocatello on Saturday.
Last Time Out
The Maverick men went 2-1 in their trip to Arizona last weekend. They dropped a 4-1 decision to Ottawa University of Arizona on Friday (Feb. 12) in Surprise but bounced back for 6-1 and 4-3 wins over Western New Mexico and Arizona Christian on Saturday. Those victories moved CMU to 5-1 overall on the season.
3-0 against D-II
The win over Western New Mexico also moved the Mavericks to a perfect 3-0 in matches against fellow NCAA Division II opponents, which in the grander scheme of NCAA Tournament qualification purposes, is all that matters. The Mavericks also won a pair of matches over Oklahoma Baptist on Feb. 5 in Grand Island, Nebraska beating the Bison by 6-1 and 5-2 scores.
CMU's other three matches have come against NAIA opponents.
Two in a row over WNMU
Saturday's win over Western New Mexico was also CMU's second straight over the Mustangs, who had won the previous 19 meetings from 2007-19. The Mavericks also defeated their former Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and NCAA Division II South Central Regional rival by a 6-1 score on Feb. 23, 2020 in St. George, Utah.
Each of the last six meetings with the Mustangs have come on neutral courts. Three of those meetings have been in Arizona.
Perfect singles starts
Maverick redshirt junior
Thiago Nejm and redshirt freshman
Jandre van Wyk, are both off to perfect starts in singles play. Van Wyk is a perfect 5-0 at No. 5 singles and had one match unfinished last Friday at OUAZ. Nejm is 6-0 at the No. 6 singles position.
The Mavericks have also been strong in the middle of the lineup with
Steven Howe posting a 4-2 mark at No. 2 singles.
Tyler Landen (5-1) and
Moises Cure (4-1) have also gotten off to strong starts in the No. 3 and 4 positions. Landen is 4-1 at No. 3 and played one match at No. 4, winning that against Oklahoma Baptist in the second half of that Feb. 5 doubleheader. Cure is 3-1 at No. 4 singles and won his only No. 3 affair.
Doubles sweeps
The Mavericks have swept the three doubles matches in four of their five victories this season. The Mavericks were also able to come from behind in Saturday's 4-3 win over Arizona Christian after dropping the doubles point.
The Mavericks are a combined 13-4 in doubles play and have used the same three partnerships, although Maverick Head Coach
Dan MacDonald has interchanged his lineup slightly with the No. 2 and 3 duos switching spots in one of the two duals with Oklahoma Baptist on Feb. 5 so they wouldn't meet the same opponents.
Christian Albrechtsen and
Tyler Landen are 4-2 in the No. 1 doubles position. Howe and van Wyk are 5-1 as a partnership, including a 4-1 mark at No. 2. Meanwhile, Cure and Nejm are 4-1 overall and 3-1 at No. 3. They were also leading their match on Friday against Ottawa, 4-3, when it went unfinished after the Spirit had won the other two doubles affairs.
About Utah State
The Aggies, who are members of the Mountain West Conference, are off to a strong 3-1 start.
They defeated Idaho State by a 5-2 score in their season and home-opener before splitting matches with Gonzaga (L, 3-4) and Eastern Washington (W, 6-1) on a Feb. 6-7 trip to Spokane and nearby Cheney, Washington. They were also slated to play Seattle on that trip but that match was canceled.
The Aggies then were 5-2 winners against Weber State on last Sunday and will host Denver this Friday before taking on the Mavericks.
In 2020, the Aggies went 3-11 in the pandemic-shortened season.
Thus far in 2021, Felipe Acosta and Javier Ruiz have been leading the team in singles. Acosta, who plays at No. 2, is a perfect 4-0 as is Ruiz, who has played in the No. 3 and 4 spots.
In doubles, the Aggies are a combined 7-4 as all four of the pair combinations are .500 or better.
Series History
The Mavericks have not played against the Utah State Aggies since 2014 and are 0-7 against them. All seven previous meetings have come in Logan. The Mavericks have been shutout in five of the matches but claimed one point each in both 2012 and 2014.
Up Next
After this weekend's matches, the Mavericks will be off next weekend. They will then return to action when they travel to southern California for their first ever PacWest matches against Concordia-Irvine, Azusa Pacific and Biola on Mar. 5 and 6.
