Teams: UC Davis at Pacific; Sacramento State
Records: Aggies, 1-1; Tigers, 0-0; Hornets, 0-2
Where: The Hal Nelson Tennis Courts – Stockton, Calif.; Rio Del Oro Racquet Club – Sacramento, Calif.
When: Saturday at 11 a.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m.
Who to watch: If this year is a repeat of last, senior Hunter Lee will have a strong performance against Pacific this weekend.
The Bermuda Dunes, Calif. native was the only Aggie to win a singles match against the Tigers last year, defeating Vegerd Veskimagi by a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 score.
“Hunter is a very good competitor,” said coach Daryl Lee. “He competes with positive intensity.”
Did you know: Both of UC Davis’ scheduled matches last weekend were postponed due to the inclement weather conditions. As a result, the Aggies’ home debut was prolonged to Feb. 19.
Preview: The rain stops and the sun finally returns to the sky.
This can only mean one thing – the tennis team can get back to practicing.
With last week’s weather conditions, the Aggies weren’t able to get in more than one day of practice. This one day plus the next couple of days will be all the Aggies have to prepare for their matches this weekend.
Now that the Aggies are back to business, they will face off against two tough teams, neither of which they have had much success against.
On Saturday, UC Davis will travel to play Pacific. Last season, the Tigers beat the Aggies 6-1 in Davis. This year, it won’t be any easier as the Aggies will travel to Stockton.
“They’re a very challenging team,” Lee said. “We have nothing to lose.”
The Tigers won’t be the only team to pose a challenge for the Aggies this weekend as the Hornets’ roster is stacked as well.
“Both teams are going to be a big challenge,” Lee said.
The Aggies also lost to the Hornets 6-1 in Davis last year and have lost three straight contests to Sacramento State overall.
Despite the past success the Hornets have had against the Aggies, they have started this year by losing their first two matches. However, coach Lee doesn’t take records into account.
“It depends on who you are competing against,” Lee said.
-Zander Wold
