Men’s tennis continues Mountain West play against Broncos

A common rivalry exists on the tennis court with Boise State just as it does on the football field.

On Friday, the Broncos will be the third Mountain West match-up for the Horned Frogs this season.

“I’m looking forward to a win,” head coach David Roditi said.

The main difference between a non-conference match and a conference match is the battle for the conference championship title, Roditi said. A rivalry is bigger within a conference team than it is with a non-conference team, he said.

The Frogs enter the match with a 6-12 overall record and 1-1 in conference play.

TCU is coming off a 5-2 loss to then-No. 58 San Diego State Sunday. The Frogs fell behind early, losing the doubles match point to the Aztecs. The only two players to win their singles matches were freshmen Facundo Lugones and Will Stein.

Lugones had a 7-5, 6-1 decision for his third consecutive win, remaining undefeated against competition in conference play.

Stein had a 6-4, 6-7 (8), 6-3 decision, improving to a 5-3 record.

No. 30 Boise State will be facing TCU for its first match on a two-match road trip. The Broncos are 20-6 overall and 2-0 in conference.

The Broncos are currently on a four-match winning streak. Boise State is coming off a double header from last weekend where the Broncos swept Air Force and Weber State 7-0.

Two names to look out for on the Broncos are No. 69 James Meredith and No. 74 Damian Hume.

The Frogs have not faced the Broncos since 2004 where the Frogs won 4-3. 

Conference team matches continue to be the most important part of the season, Roditi said. The team has shown determination and fight in every match, he said. The tougher match, the greater the players would fight.

“We like to be the ones attacking them for those two to three crucial points,” Roditi said about playing aggressive.

TCU will be hosting its fourth conference match against Air Force (9-10, 0-4) Sunday. Air Force has fallen to UNLV, New Mexico, San Diego State and Boise State. 

The Falcons will be playing three back-to-back matches this weekend with Lamar (Friday), UTA (Saturday) and TCU (Sunday).

TCU has never lost to Air Force, holding a 10-0 record in the all-time series. In seven of the 10 meetings, the Horned Frogs have shut out the Falcons.  

TCU vs. Boise State

When: 5:30 p.m. Friday

Where: Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center