PROVO -- After a big win over No. 58 Boise State, the No. 66 BYU women's tennis team is looking to keep the winning streak alive as they face No. 38 South Carolina on Saturday at noon in Provo.
"The win over Boise State was really big for us because it helped build our confidence," said BYU head coach Craig Manning. "We have been playing well, we just haven't seen that in the final results. We hope the good play will continue against South Carolina."
The Gamecocks of USC come into Saturday's match with a 10-4 dual match record. USC improved to that record with a 6-1 win over Utah State on Friday afternoon in Logan, Utah. The match was the second straight win for the Gamecocks since losing three straight matches to nationally ranked opponents.
"South Carolina always has a tough team," Manning said. "They have had some big wins over some great teams and I expect them to come here ready to play us. We need to make sure we are ready to play and stay focused."
After the Boise State match, Manning was very pleased with the way his team is playing. Liza Klempner came up with a big win for the Cougars at the No. 1 singles spot and freshman Hadley MacFarlane continued her brilliant play against the Broncos with a win at the No. 6 position that clinched the victory for the Cougars.
"We are facing another ranked opponent in South Carolina, but I know that playing good teams is only going to make our team that much better," Manning said. "We need to be playing our best once conference play starts and playing ranked teams will help us play better."
After the Cougars face USC, they will begin conference play next weekend when they face Air Force on Friday and New Mexico on Saturday. Both matches will be played in Albuquerque, N.M.