By Brandon Tripp, Sports Writer
ACU’s tennis teams continued their hot start to the season, winning all six of their matches over the weekend at the ACU Indoor Open, which turned into an outdoor open after matches moved outside due to good weather.
The change in venue proved to be no problem, as the men swept the competition, beating Trinity University 8-1, McMurry University 8-1 and Prairie View A&M 9-0. The women completed the weekend sweep, defeating all three of their opponents: McMurry University, Hardin-Simmons and Prairie View A&M, 9-0.
The men also put together an impressive weekend, taking out yet another Division I opponent in Prairie View A&M. It was the Wildcats’ only shutout on the men’s side after not giving up a set in the 9-0 victory. Against McMurry, the lone match surrendered by the Wildcats came at the No. 6 singles, where Cody McCarthy fell to McMurry’s Will Davis in a close match 6-3, 2-6, 11-9. “It’s always a statement if you crush them, and we want everyone to know we are taking things very seriously this season,” Juan Nunez said.
The men have a record of 4-1 this season with their only loss coming against New Mexico State on Feb. 1.
The women were dominant over the weekend, shutting out all three opponents in the open. But the bigger accomplishment is that the Wildcats lost just one set, disposing all three opponents in the shortest possible manner; they won two of the matches, the No. 6 matches against both Prairie View A&M and McMurry by default.
“I thought it was really impressive that we were able to do that,” said head coach Hutton Jones.
Both the men and women will travel to Phoenix to compete in the Phoenix Duals scheduled on Thursday through Saturday.
The men are looking to repeat much of the success from last year’s trip to Phoenix when the Wildcats brought home a 3-1 record, the only loss coming at the hands of UC San Diego. The Wildcats will get a chance at redemption this year in Phoenix when they face off against UC San Diego, which is ranked just one spot ahead of the 18th-ranked Wildcats heading into the weekend.
The women will have a tall order this weekend when they take on the No. 2 team in the country BYU-Hawaii. The Seasiders are a perennial powerhouse in women’s tennis and will be competing in their first tournament of the season.
Not all the opponents and match times have been confirmed for the weekend, but Jones expects his team to play hard.
“We cannot afford to not compete well,” Jones said. “There are some good teams, but we are also a good team.”
