Cougars Hit The Road

PROVO, Utah (Jan.18, 2006) -- After a strong showing against Utah State in their season opener last weekend, the BYU women's tennis team takes its show on the road for the first time as they take on Washington State and #25 Washington Jan. 20 and 21.

"These are good teams who are tough at home, " Coach Craig Manning said. "These are good early matches for us because they let us see how we play against good teams on their own courts. They will give us a good indication of where we sit."

The Cougars currently sit at 1-0, and feel confident they will perform well in their first road trip of the season. Manning said all the pieces of the team are falling into place, especially now that Jenni Miccoli and Sofia Holden are returning to the team. Due to injuries, Miccoli sat out the fall season and Holden did not play in the season-opener.

Getting those two back is big for the team, as Holden played a key role in the Cougars' conference championship run last year and Miccoli and doubles partner Anastasia Sourkova were ranked No. 15 nationally in preseason polls. Manning said he will play them in different positions than they played last year, but that his team is fine with that.

"It's amazing to have that kind of attitude on the team," Manning said. "This is a real team, not a group of individuals. It's a lot of fun."

BYU first plays Washington State Friday Jan. 20 at 11 a.m. They take on #25 Washington Saturday Jan. 21 at 12 p.m.