PROVO, Utah — BYU men’s tennis (10-3) seeks a 10th-straight win as it competes in its third-straight road match at Air Force on Friday at 5 p.m. MST.
The Cougars are now just two shy of equaling an 11-match streak during the 2018-19 campaign. The regional battle will be the final non-conference competition of the season before BYU embarks on a seven-match Big 12 slate March 21 against No. 26 Oklahoma State.
- Venue: Air Force Tennis Courts
- Live Stats: will not be available
- Live Stream: PlaySight
Where Things Stand
The Cougars are fresh off an unblemished 7-0 February stretch. They started March on a high note with a 6-1 win at Radford on March 1 following a 6-1 win at NC Central on Feb. 29.
BYU seized both doubles points last week as No. 1 duo Wally Thayne and Zach Fuchs improved to 6-2 together on the year. At No. 2 singles, Jack Barnettt and Redd Owen’s 9-2 mark leads the team in winning percentage (.818 percent).
Four Cougars have only suffered two losses in singles play: Thayne (10-2), Owen (10-2), David Duong (7-2) and TJ Wells (3-2). Thayne’s most recent victory at Radford came at the No. 1 slot as Barnett only played doubles last Friday due to illness. Barnett is 7-3 at No. 1 singles on the year while Tygen Goldammer has strung together seven straight wins for an 8-3 mark largely spent at No. 5 singles.
For additional season statistics, see here.
Air Force Notes
- 2023-24 Record: 4-6
- The Cougars and Falcons have faced three common opponents so far this season. Air Force took down Weber State as the host, but lost to Idaho State at home and on the road at Omaha. BYU claimed wins against all three
- Air Force went 12-11 last season, with a 10-4 mark at home and sixth-place finish in the Mountain West standings (1-5).
- The Falcons are led by first-year head coach Evan Urbina, a former BYU standout from 2007-11 who is firmly etched in the program record books. Urbina is the third-winningest singles player in BYU history, with 98 career victories along with 80 career doubles wins for No. 5 all-time. He also helped the Cougars advance to the NCAA Tournament during his final two years, serving as team captain in a senior year that saw BYU earn Mountain West regular season and tournament titles in its final campaign as a member of the conference. Prior to becoming head coach, Urbina served as an assistant at the Academy for the previous nine seasons (2014-23).
- The match will serve as a reunion for Urbina and BYU’s staff. Head coach Zack Warren served as a BYU assistant from 2009-12 while current assistant coach Jonathan Sanchez was also teammates with Urbina in 2007-08.
- Seven of 10 roster members return from last year, including 2022-23 All-Mountain West Singles and Freshman of the Year recipient Phillip Deaton. Junior Arjun Kersten also returns after earning All-Mountain West Singles and Doubles honors last year.
- Friday’s match marks Air Force’s sixth home match on the year. The Falcons are 3-2 in Colorado Springs this season.
Series Information
- Series record: BYU leads 30-4. The schools have shared many battles as conference mates in the Western Athletic Conference (1980-1999) and Mountain West Conference (1999-2011).
- Last Meeting: BYU won 6-1 on March 12, 2021 at the Indoor Tennis Courts.