Lozano and Nyman to Play in Match with Denver

PROVO -- The No. 66 BYU men's tennis team (5-3) will be at home again this Saturday as they host the University of Denver at 11 a.m. at the BYU indoor tennis courts.

Despite having the top two players, Erik Nyman and Carlos Lozano, out last week, the Cougars beat Utah State 6-1. Sophomore Jose Lechuga, this week's MWC Player of the Week, stepped into the No. 1 singles and doubles spots and came up with big wins for the Cougars against the Aggies.

Having Lozano and Nyman out of the lineup last weekend, BYU head coach Jim Osborne hopes they will be able to come back and play well.

"Before the Utah State match, we didn't have a match since the beginning of February so Erik and Carlos haven't played in a match for almost a month now," said Osborne. "It will be interesting to see if they come out rusty or ready to play."

Denver comes into this weekend's match having won its last five matches, including big wins over Creighton and DePaul.

"The University of Denver is a good, solid team," said Osborne. "Their top players are always tough, but I'm not sure about their depth. We need to be ready for them and not take them lightly."

Osborne said that the team will have some goals for this week's match.

"We are really going to focus on doubles this match," said Osborne. "The doubles point is so important for us, so winning that point will be our goal. Our serving percentage could be better as well, so we'll be focusing on that."

After facing Denver this week, the Cougars will be on the road against UC Santa Barbara on March 15 (Saturday).

After the men's tennis match, the BYU women's tennis team will be in action with No. 15 Notre Dame at 3 p.m.