February 2, 1999
This Week:
The Utah men's tennis team plays its second match of the season at home against Weber State on Feb. 2. The Utes have won four of their last five matches against instate competition, and defeated Weber State last year, 6-1. The match begins at 6:00 p.m. at the Eccles Tennis Center.
Utes to Watch:
Newcomer Ashley Dyer competed in his first match as a Ute against Utah State on Jan. 29. Dyer defeated Ryan Burbidge, 7-6. 6-1. Dyer recently transferred to Utah, and is a native of Australia. Utah's stellar double tandem of Ben Coates and Philippe Rodrigue continued their hot streak this week be defeating Utah State's No. 1 slotted team, 8-4. Coates and Rodrigue are now 20-3 on the season.
On Feb. 4, Coates and Rodrigue will be traveling to Dallas, Texas to compete in the Rolex National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships. They qualified for this tournament be advancing through the 64-team field to win the doubles title at the Region VII Tournament. Coates and Rodrigue are ranked No. 1 in Region VII, No. 13 nationally. They will compete in Dallas from Feb. 4-7, and will return to play with the Utes against Arizona on Feb. 8. All of Utah's six singles players have posted winning records so far this year. Coates boasts a No. 4 ranking in Region VII, and a No. 86 national ranking, and currently holds a 16-5 overall record. Rodrigue has a 9-4 record while Ryan Snow maintains a 13-5 mark. Trevor Ferguson, who is a Weber St. transfer, posts a 8-6 record, while Ashley Dyer is 1-0 after one match as a Ute.
Last Week:
Utah kicked off its season with a victory over Utah State. The Utes took five of the six singles matches, as well as the doubles point, to tally the winning 6-1 edge. It was at the No. 1 position that the Aggies captured their one point, as Jared Burnham defeated Ben Coates, currently ranked 82nd nationally, 7-6, 4-6, 6-3. Utah's No. 2 seed Philippe Rodrigue knocked off Joe Hicks, 6-3, 6-3, while Ute newcomer Ashley Dyer downed Ryan Burbidge, 7-6, 6-1.
Utah's No. 4 seed, Trevor Ferguson defeated Jevin West, 6-4, 6-4, as Ryan Snow topped the Aggie's No. 5 seed Tim Burrell, 6-4, 6-2. The last singles match featured Utah freshman Nik Yip, slotted at No. 6, who downed Jason Trask, 6-4, 6-2. In doubles play, Utah's duo of Coates and Rodrigue, who are ranked No. 13 nationally and No. 1 in Region VII, defeated Burnham and Burbidge, 8-4 while Ferguson and Yip downed West and Burrell, 8-4.
Looking Ahead: Following the home match against Weber State, the Utes depart for consecutive day matches against Arizona and Arizona State. Utah faces the Wildcats on Feb. 8 at 1:00 p.m., then takes on the Sun Devils on Feb. 9 at 1:30 p.m..
