PROVO, Utah — BYU men’s tennis is set to compete at Texas Tech for its last regular season match this Saturday, taking on the Red Raiders for the first time as conference mates.
The ninth all-time meeting between the schools comes after the two met just last season in Eugene, Oregon for a neutral site contest. Texas Tech won 4-1 despite a doubles point victory for the Cougars.
Match Information
-Start Time: Saturday, April 13 at 1 p.m. MDT
-Venue: McLeod Tennis Center
-Live Stats
-PlaySight Live Stream
The Cougars (11-9, 0-6 Big 12) will compete in their third straight road match to close out the regular season, most recently falling 5-0 at No. 3 TCU and dropping a tight 4-3 battle at No. 24 UCF despite a doubles point win and singles victories for Jack Barnett and Wally Thayne.
Wally Thayne leads BYU in the singles win tally, having compiled a 14-5 mark that includes a 3-3 record in Big 12 play. The junior has two ranked singles victories this season.
Redd Owen’s 12 dual singles wins is good for second most on the team at the No. 4 slot. Jack Barnett (10-7) and Zach Fuchs (10-7) both have identical records on court one and court three, respectively. Barnett most recently won at UCF and defeated Baylor’s No. 50 Tadeas Paroulek on March 30.
In doubles, Thayne and Fuchs own a 9-5 record on court one, including a ranked win over No. 53 Eliot Spizzirri/Siem Woldeab (Texas) on March 28. Barnett and Owen are 11-6 on the year, having scored a Big 12 doubles victory last Saturday at UCF.
Texas Tech Notes
-2023-24 record: 8-14, 0-6 Big 12
-Like the Cougars, the Red Raiders will be fighting for their first Big 12 win in conference play. Their best showing came against No. 24 UCF last week in a 2-4 defeat on April 4.
-Head coach Michael Breler is in his first season since being named head coach on May 12, 2023. As interim head coach in 2022-23, he led the program to eight ranked victories. He is currently in his fifth year on the Red Raiders’ coaching staff and played with the Texas Tech men’s tennis team from 2005-09.
-In 2023, earned a No. 3 seed in the Big 12 Tournament and an NCAA Tournament appearance before losing 4-3 to Louisville in the opening round.
-Nationally-Ranked Athletes: Singles - Olle Wallin (No. 49). Doubles - Sebastian Abboud/Piotr Pawlak (No. 40).
-No. 49 Wallin defeated Texas’s No. 1 Eliot Spizzirri in straight sets with a 7-6 (6), 6-2 triumph on March 30. No. 40 Abboud/Piotr own two ranked wins in doubles together this season.
-Seven of nine roster members return from last year.
Series Information
-Series Record: Texas Tech leads 6-2
-Last Meeting: Then-No. 40 Texas Tech won 4-1 in Eugene, Oregon on March 17, 2023