PROVO, Utah – BYU men's tennis (13-4, 1-2 Big 12) welcomes Texas Tech (11-7, 1-2 Big 12) to Provo for an inaugural matchup in Utah on Friday at 5:00 p.m. at the Outdoor Tennis Courts.
The Cougars are coming off a road defeat to UCF, where they suffered a 4-1 loss, marking their third loss in four matches. So far this season, BYU is 4-1 at home, splitting its two Big 12 matches in Provo.
Keeping up with the Big 12
BYU currently sits in the middle of the pack in the Big 12, holding fifth place out of nine programs. Their two previous losses to conference opponents—No. 9 Arizona and No. 12 UCF—occupy the top two spots and have combined for a 19-match winning streak.
With a win, the Cougars can tighten the gap between themselves and No. 5 TCU (13-5, 2-1 Big 12) and No. 9 Baylor (13-7, 1-1 Big 12). The two top-10 Texas programs will be BYU’s opponents on next week’s road trip.
Player Spotlight
The Cougars have won 62% of their singles matches through 17 matches this season, compiling a 54-33 overall record.
Tygen Goldammer has had a standout junior year with a 13-2 record, surpassing last season’s 8-6 singles mark. The Alabama native is looking to get back in the win column after suffering his first straight-set loss of the season.
Sophomore Hardy Owen has also seen increased production in his second year in Provo, posting an undefeated 7-0 singles record after going 2-0 last season. Last week against the Knights, Owen won his first set 6-4 before falling 1-6 and was trailing 1-0 in the third set when the match went unfinished.
Five-star recruit Caden Hasler has quickly made his presence felt as a Cougar. The freshman holds an 8-2 singles record, with his most recent completed match clinching BYU’s win over Oklahoma State two weeks ago.
In doubles, BYU is looking to replicate last week’s performance, when it secured the opening point. Goldammer and TJ Wells continue to lead the Cougars’ doubles efforts, owning a 10-4 record as a pair. Their most recent win over the Knights snapped a three-match losing streak.
Scouting the Red Raiders
At 11-7, Texas Tech is enjoying a resurgence after finishing 12-12 last season, including a 2-6 conference record. The Red Raiders have a chance to match last year’s win total in their first match in Provo.
After dropping three consecutive matches—all to top-30 teams—Texas Tech has bounced back with two straight wins: a 4-0 victory over No. 36 Oklahoma State and a 4-1 win over UTSA last weekend. The Red Raiders have been strong at home with a 10-1 record, but have struggled on the road, holding an 0-6 record.
Texas Tech’s top-performing singles player has been Niksa Arsic. The junior from Serbia owns a 15-6 record, including a four-match win streak.
In doubles, the Red Raiders’ most consistent pairing has been Arsic and Thiago Guglieri, who have competed in 26 matches together and hold an 18-8 overall record.
Historically, Texas Tech has had the upper hand in the series with a 4-0 record, including wins in each of the last three years and a 7-0 neutral-site victory in 2014.
A livestream of the match will be available, along with live scoring across all six courts.